csnd exam 1

Communication Disorders- 

• Speech Sound Disorder: Atypical production of speech sounds, interruption in the flow of speaking, or abnormal production and/or absences of voice quality, including pitch, loudness, resonance, and/or duration 

• Voice Disorder:  Deviations in voice quality, pitch, and/or loudness resulting from disordered laryngeal, respiratory, and/or vocal tract functioning (i.e. vocal abuse)

• Fluency Disorder: Inability to move the speech production apparatus in an effortless, smooth, and rapid manner (i.e. stuttering)

• Language Disorder: Impairment in comprehension and/or use of spoken, written, and/or other symbol systems

Professionals that treat Communication Disorders- 

• Speech-Language Pathologist: A professional whose distinguishing role is to identify, assess, treat, and prevent speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders

• Audiologist: A professional whose distinguishing role is to identify, assess, manage, and prevent disorders of hearing and balance

Communication- 

• Communication Disorder: impairs the ability to both receive and send and also process and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal, and graphic information- can affect hearing, language, or speech 

• Communication: An exchange of ideas between sender(s) and receivers(s)

Communication involves…

1. Formulation: Puts thoughts and ideas into words to share with others 

2. Transmission: Express thoughts and ideas to others 

3. Reception: Receive the information sent by another person

4. Comprehension: Interperet the communication sent by another person

Types of communication:

• Verbal

• Non-verbal 

Developmental vs. Acquired Disorders- 

• Acquired: Disorder forming after birth 

• Developmental: Congenital (present at birth) 

Evidence-Based Practices- 

• Evidence-Based Practices: Well-grounded researched interventions, the best source for EBP are professional journals (aka peer-reviewed journals)

Assessments- 

Parts of Assessment:

Screening and referral → Administering assessment → Interpreting findings  → Developing intervention plan → Monitoring progress/outcomes

• Language Sample: A systematic collection and analysis of a person's speech or writing. Sometimes called a corpus; used as a part of language assessment

• Speech Sample: A systematic collection and analysis of a person's speech, a corpus; used in language assessment.

• Standardized Test: Appropriate for determining whether a problem exists, they are less useful in identifying specific language deficits

• Norm-Referenced:  A comparison that is usually based on others of the same gender and similar age

• Criterion-Referenced: An evaluation of an individual's strengths and weaknesses with regard to specific skills

Classifications of Hearing Loss- 

• Conductive: A loss of auditory sensitivity due to malformation or obstruction of the outer ear and/or middle ear

• Sensorineural: Permanent hearing loss that results from absence, malformation, or damage to the structures of the inner ear

• Mixed: Simultaneous presence of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

Causes of Hearing Loss- 

• Genetics, head trauma, ear wax, fluid in the ear, etc. 

Parts of the Ear & Functions-

A- Pinna:  Collects sound waves and channels them into the ear canal.

B- Auditory meatus (canal): Enhances certain high-frequency sounds as they travel to the eardrum, produces earwax  

C- Tympanic Membrane (eardrum): Vibrates in response to sound waves that travel down the ear canal

D- Cochlea: Responsible for providing auditory input to the central auditory system

E- Semicircular canals: Responsible for balance (part of the vestibular system)

Cochlear Implant 

• An electronic amplification device that is surgically placed in the cochlea and provides electrical stimulation to the surviving auditory nerve fibers

Made up of…

• Transmitter: Sends the signal to a receiver under the skin.

• Microphone: Picks up sounds and sends them to a speech processor

• Speech Processor: Turns the sounds into a digital signal

Babies Hearing Testing- 

• Otoacoustic Emissions: measure of inner ear function, measures vibrations and sounds given off by the inner ear when responding to a sound

• ABR Testing: measures the inner ear and the brain pathways for hearing

Aural habilitation vs Aural rehabilitation- 

• Aural Habilitation: Intervention conducted with individuals whose hearing loss occurred at an early age and therefore prevented normal development of auditory and spoken language skills

• Aural Rehabilitation: Services and therapies provided to individuals who have lost their hearing later in life, after spoken language skills have fully developed

Audiograms- 

• Results of a hearing test 

Components:

• Frequency (Hz): y-axis

• Intensity (dB HL): x-axis

The Xs are the responses for the left ear.

The Os are the responses for the right ear.

The Ss are the responses through the speakers

Central Auditory Processing Disorder- 

• Deficits in the processing of information from audible signals

Treatments:

• modifying the environment

•  teaching compensatory strategies

•  providing direct auditory therapy