The Rose Bldg, 1125 S. Cedar Crest Blvd. Allentown, PA 18103 Phone:610-433-6660 Fax:610-433-7477
Professional Terms
- Lisp:
- An articulatory disorder characterized by defective sibilant sounds such as the /s/ and /z/.
- Modification:
- A change in what is being taught to or expected from the student. Making an assignment easier so the student is not doing the same level of work as other students is an example of a modification.
- Morphology:
- The system that governs the smallest units of meaning, such as words, affixes, suffixes, plural endings, etc.
- Nonverbal Learning Disability:
- A generalized weakness in nonverbal or visually-based information processing skills. Students with nonverbal processing weakness will typically struggle most with academic tasks which involve complex or abstract visual displays (charts, graphs, maps, etc.) and which provide limited verbal or auditory information. They may also have problems reading facial expressions, gestures, social cues, and tones of voice.
- Oral motor:
- A fine motor function of the oral mechanism (i.e., jaw, tongue, lips, and cheeks) for the purposes of eating, drinking, and speaking. Oral motor therapy is designed to increase the coordination, strength, and stamina of the jaw, lips, and tongue (the oral muscles).
- Otitis Media:
- A middle ear infection. The American Academy of Audiology considers that developmental deficits in communication and behavioral/attention problems experienced by some children with recurrent otitis media are, for the most part, auditory-based. There is increasing evidence that the age of onset, as well as the nature, degree, and configuration of the peripheral conductive hearing loss which occurs secondary to otitis media, are critical components that place children at risk for developing communication and learning disorders.
- Perseveration:
- The automatic and often involuntary continuation of behavior
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder:
- A group of developmental conditions that involve delayed or impaired communication and social skills, behaviors, and cognitive skills (learning). Because autism is the best-known of the PDDs, the disorders also are known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS):
- One of the autism spectrum disorders which is used to describe individuals who do not fully meet the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger's Syndrome. When someone has autistic characteristics but some their symptoms are mild or only in one area, they may be given the PDD-NOS label.
- Phonology:
- The sound system of a language and the rules that govern the sound combinations.
- Phonological Awareness:
- One's ability to recognize, discriminate, and manipulate the sounds in one's language, regardless of the size of the word unit that is the focus
- Phonological Processes:
- Speech sound patterns
- Phonological Processing:
- Phonological processes are techniques used by children to simplify speech when attempting to produce adult words. When a child uses many different processes or uses processes that are not typically present during speech acquisition, intelligibility may be impaired. The advantage of using a phonological processes approach to speech therapy is that the SLP can identify error patterns and then target these patterns to remediate more than one sound at a time.
- Pragmatics:
- The system that combines language components in functional and socially appropriate communication.
- Prosody:
- The rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech
- Selective Mutism:
- A disorder that usually occurs during childhood when the child does not choose to speak in at least one social setting. However, the child can speak in other situations. Selective mutism typically occurs before a child is 5 years old and is usually first noticed when the child starts school.
- Semantics:
- The way words are used to convey the intended meaning
- Sensory Dysfunction:
- Difficulties with interpreting information the body takes in from the sensory organs, such as hearing, seeing, and touch.
- Speech:
- The act of expressing or describing thoughts, feelings, or perceptions by the articulation of words through speech sounds, and vocal physiology
- Speech Disorder:
- An impairment of the articulation of speech sounds, fluency and/or voice.
- Stuttering:
- Frequent repetition of words or parts of words that disrupts the smooth flow of speech
- Syntax:
- The system governing the order and combination of words to form sentences, and the relationships among the elements within a sentence.
- Theory of Mind:
- Being able to infer the full range of mental states (beliefs, desires, intentions, imagination, emotions, etc.) that cause action. In brief, having a theory of mind is to be able to reflect on the contents of one's own and other's minds. Difficulty in understanding other minds is a core cognitive feature of autism spectrum conditions.
- Vocal Cords /Vocal Folds:
- Muscular folds of mucous membrane that extend from the larynx wall. The folds are enclosed in elastic vocal ligament and muscle that control the tension and rate of vibration of the cords as air passes through them.
- Voice Disorder:
- A disorder that is characterized by the abnormal production and/or absences of vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, and/or duration, which is inappropriate for an individual's age and/or sex.
- Word Retrieval Deficits:
- Difficulty retrieving words in the presence of good comprehension of those words. Persons with word retrieval deficits appear not to know answers when in reality they know, but are unable to express their knowledge. These students may exhibit problems retrieving specific words in single word retrieval contexts and in discourse.