A

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
ABA is the application of the science of behavior to increase language development and reduce behaviors that interfere with learning and cognitive functioning.

Articulation disorder
Disorder of speech characterized by difficulty in producing speech sounds correctly. Sounds may be omitted (e.g. ba/ball), distorted (e.g. slushy/unclear “s”), or substituted (e.g. pan/fan).

Autism
The Autism Society of America defines autism as a disorder that has an onset prior to 30 months of age and that consists of disturbances in the following areas:

  • Developmental rates and sequence of motor, social-adaptive, and cognitive skills
  • Responses to sensory stimuli – hyper – and hyposensitivity in audition, vision, tactile stimulation, motor, olfactory, and taste, including self- stimulatory behaviors
  • Speech and language, cognition, and nonverbal communication, including mutism, echolalia, and difficulty with abstract terms
  • Capacity to appropriately relate to people, events, and objects, including lack of
    social behaviors, affection and appropriate play

Apraxia of Speech
Apraxia is difficulty coordinating motor movements and forming sounds into words. The term “developmental apraxia” is used when children have this problem. A child with developmental apraxia may have oral apraxia, verbal apraxia or both. Oral apraxia is difficulty with volitional movements of the articulators (tongue, lips, cheeks, soft palate). A child may not be able to stick out his/her tongue upon command or in imitation. Verbal apraxia is difficulty with sounds, words, and syllables and sequencing them appropriately in speech. Children with apraxia may be unable to say certain words, or may say a word correctly once, but be unable to say it again. The child often knows what to say, but has trouble motor planning and forming the words to say it.

B

No definitions at this time.

C

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)
A term used to describe individuals with normal hearing who have auditory-based receptive communication or language learning problems. People with CAPD have difficulty in processing auditory stimuli presented in unfavorable acoustic conditions such as speech in the presence of background noise (classroom noise, heating/ air-conditioning vent) and speech in a reverberant room (gymnasium). A child with CAPD typically has difficulty with the following: attending to various sounds and remembering them, being aware of the direction from which a sound originates, repeating and recalling sounds, being aware of rhythmic patterns, isolating sounds from a variety of different sounds,distinguishing embedded sounds from background noises, drawing meaning from verbal stimuli, fusing sounds coming into two ears into one unified impression, and identifying a sound in the initial, middle or ending position of a word. (Gillet, Pamela (1993) Auditory Processes.

D

Dysphagia
Disorders of swallowing that can occur anywhere from the mouth (oral phase of the swallow), to the throat and larynx (laryngeal phase) then down the esophagus (esophageal phase) to the stomach.

E

No definitions at this time.

F

Fluency disorder
Speech disorder characterized by excessive amounts of dysfluencies (disruptions in the flow of speech, such as part or whole word, or sentence repetitions, hesitations, prolongations, etc.). Speech is produced with excessive amounts of struggle and effort (stuttering).

G

No definitions at this time.

H

No definitions at this time.

I

No definitions at this time.

J

No definitions at this time.

K

No definitions at this time.

L

Language Disorder
Impaired comprehension and/or use of spoken, written and/or other symbol systems. This disorder may involve 1) the form of language (phonology, morphology, syntax) 2) the content of language (semantics) and/or 3) the function of language in communication (pragmatics) in any combination. (Ad Hoc Committee on Service Delivery in the Schools, 1993)

  • phonology – aspect of language concerned with the rules governing the structure, distribution, and sequencing of speech sound patterns.
  • morphology – the internal organization of words (this includes markers of verb tense such as ed, plurals, possessives, etc.).
  • syntax – organizational rules specifying word order, sentence organization and word relationships.
  • semantics – a system of rules governing the meaning or content of words and word combinations.
  • pragmatics – aspect of language concerned with language use within a communication context. Owens, Robert (1992). Language Development An Introduction.

M

No definitions at this time.

N

No definitions at this time.

O

No definitions at this time.

P

Phonological Awareness
One’s sensitivity to, or explicit awareness of, the phonological structure of words in one’s language. It involves the ability to notice, think about, or manipulate the individual sounds in words. Thus, phonological awareness is important in learning to read because it supports learning how words in our language are represented in print.

Phonological Processing Disorder
Multiple errors of articulation that form patterns based on distinctive features or phonological processes. Phonological processes are multiple ways that children simplify adult production of speech sounds. Treatment goals for this intervention target the suppression (elimination) of phonological processes. One example of a phonological process is final consonant deletion (e.g. po/pop). When a child demonstrates this process he/she consistently omits the final consonant in words.

Q

No definitions at this time.

R

No definitions at this time.

S

Sensory Integration
Sensory Integration is the organization of sensation for use. Organization of sensory information from all parts of the body and the environment around us results in each person’s own unique way of interpreting, responding to, and learning about the world around them. Children with sensory processing disorders may demonstrate problems in development and/or performance quality in the areas of:

  • posture and movement
  • gross, fine and oral motor
  • adaptive behavior
  • learning and memory
  • speech and language

T

Therapeutic Listening
This sound therapy utilizes specific headphones with specially recorded and spectrally activated music on compact discs. Samonas therapy utilizes compact discs developed by Ingo Steinbach. This specially recorded music works through activating and excercising the vestibular system (which is housed in the inner ear). Through training the ear, it sharpens attention, perception and helps the body in balancing and regulating itself. The vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII) conducts acoustic impulses from the ear to the brain. It is connected to the Trigeminal, Facial and Vagus nerves. This is why Samonas therapy has been found to affect hearing, voice, language, the vegetative system, body posture, balance and spatial orientation.

U

No definitions at this time.

V

Voice Disorders
Various disorders of communication related to faulty, abnormal, or inappropriate phonation, loudness, pitch, and resonance. Causes of voice disorders include vocally abusive behaviors, trauma to the laryngeal mechanism, and physical diseases. Voice disorders can be treated medically and behaviorally (often both). A family should consult an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor prior to the initiation of speech therapy with a speech-language pathologist.

W

No definitions at this time.

X

No definitions at this time.

Y

No definitions at this time.

Z

No definitions at this time.