Download Glossary of Speech and Language Terms

Glossary ofSpeech and Language Terms articulation refers to the physical production of speech sounds and how they are coordinated to create words and sentences. attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (ADD or ADHD) is characterized by developmentally inappropriate degrees of attention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. The onset is before the age of 4 years for most people, and the symptoms may persist into adulthood. autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disorder which is characterized by disrupted interaction with the environment and with others, and deficits in speech and/or language development. A child with ASD may also have degrees of difficulty with sensory integration. apraxia The official term is ‘Childhood Developmental Apraxia of Speech’ or CAS; ‘dyspraxia’ may also be used. Children with CAS have difficulty making and coordinating the precise movements of the speech apparatus necessary for clear speech production. There is no damage to muscles or nerves, and involuntary motor movements remain intact. The speech apparatus includes lips, tongue, soft palate, larynx, and muscles which control breathing. cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder of the central nervous system, particularly at motor control centres which occurs around the time of birth before the basic muscular system is achieved. It is chronic and may include abnormal muscle tone, coordination, or positioning with impairments in intellectual, perceptual, auditory, speech and language, or emotional functioning. concepts
are ideas which combine several elements from different sources into a single notion. The development of language concept knowledge is crucial in language comprehension and helping children orient themselves in their environment. conductive hearing loss is an impairment of hearing due to the failure of sound pressure waves to reach the cochlea (inner ear) through the outer or middle ear. One frequent cause of a conductive hearing loss is otitis media. language is a commonly accepted symbol system for interpersonal communication comprised of phonological, morphological, syntactical, and semantic components. On a standardized scale, 68% of the population at any given age normal range
fall within 15 points on either side of 100, which is the mid-point of average. These 68% are considered to exhibit the typical, or ‘normal range’ of developmental
behaviours for that age. otitis media
Acute otitis media is an inflammation of the middle ear cavity with production of fluid. Fluid can persist in the middle ear from 2 weeks to 3 months after an ear infection has resolved, causing a conductive hearing loss. percentile rank
is a statistical measurement that divides a population into 100 parts, with 50 being the mean (middle) measurement for that population, or group. The rank is the individual’s score relative to his or her group in percentage points. th percentile this means that 60% of that For example, if someone scored at the 60
person’s peers scored below him or her. phonological awareness is the explicit awareness of the sound structure of language and the ability to reflect on and consciously manipulate sounds and syllables. The first skill children learn is rhyming words, then later they learn blending and segmenting words and sounds. pragmatics refers to a set of rules governing the use of language in context. It is a study of speaker-listener intentions and relations and includes facial expression, eye contact, body position, vocal volume, hesitation and agreement noises, etc. semantics refers to the study of meaning in language; it includes the relations between language, thought, and behaviour. sensory integration
In the developing body, the 5 senses are experienced and integrated so that they are organized relative to each other and provide important survival information. Hyper- or hypo-sensitivity in one sensory area will result in a skewed development and cause stress and confusion such that learning potential is affected. specific language impairment (SLI) This term is used when a child has difficulties learning one or more aspects of language which is/are measurably different from those of a typically developing child. This may include vocabulary, grammar, concepts, language comprehension, or language expression. speech refers to oral communication that employs a linguistic code through with one can express thoughts and feelings and understand others. a standard score is plotted on and reported using a set scale, so that it is readily seen how an individual’s score deviates from the mean (middle) and relates to those of his or her own peers. 100 is the mean, and 15 points is one standard deviation. The two standard deviations on either side of the mean (i.e. 85 to 115) are considered to be the average range for that group. syntax refers to the internal structure of a language, including the order in which the elements of a language can occur and the relationships among the elements in
an utterance. The term ‘grammar’ is also used. stuttering behaviours are characterized by part-word or whole-word repetitions, prolongations, blocks (getting ‘stuck’), and/or tense facial and body postures. Stutters are different from revisions and hesitations which occur in normal speech. Although there is little hard evidence, stuttering is considered to be a neurologically-based disorder. A blow to the head may result in varying degrees of traumatic brain injury
brain damage in one or more areas of the cerebral cortex. In severe cases, a blow to one part of the head will cause a ‘contrecoup’ injury, which is an injury to the brain when it bounces against the opposite side of the skull. Behaviour and/or motor movement may be affected depending on the damaged area. Damage to the frontal lobe, for example, will cause difficulties in the individual’s ability to regulate his or her own behaviour.