What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)? A Neurological Speech Sound Disorder where the accuracy and consistency of movements needed for speech production are impaired. It is primarily a disorder of inaccurate planned movement, known as praxis; there is a difficulty in planning and executing voluntary movement sequences. Childhood Apraxia of Speech is NOT: […]
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What is Early Intervention? Early intervention is play-based language therapy provided to toddlers who are delayed in their development of speech and language. PREDICTORS OF NEED FOR INTERVENTION Small vocabulary with limited verbs Language comprehension delay Few vocalizations, limited consonants or vowels Limited variety in babbling Restricted syllable structure Few spontaneous imitations Little or no
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An Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) refers to a variety of conditions that affect theway the brain processes auditory information. APD is different from a hearingimpairment, in that individuals with APD generally have normal hearing ability. Rather,an individual with APD cannot process the information they hear in the same way thatothers do. This can lead to
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When discussing swallowing disorders in adults, one must consider all of the stagesinvolved in eating. The first phase involves everything from the anticipation of thefood—the smell, the amount on the fork, and the temperature– to the chewing of thefood, the mixing of the food with saliva, and the forming of the food into something that
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“Autism is a developmental disability that causes problems with social skills and communication. Autism can be mild or severe. It is different for every person. Autism is also known as autism spectrum disorders.” (ASHA). Autism is considered to be part of a group of disorders (Autism Spectrum Disorders). These disorders have similar characteristics but differing
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An orofacial myofunctional disorder, or tongue thrust, refers to a “reverse” swallowingpattern in which the tongue pushes against or between the teeth. The tongue rests lowand forward in the mouth, and the lips can be flaccid with an open posture. All babies thrust their tongues when they are sucking and swallowing. This is a normalpattern
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Parents or caregivers of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder(ASD), often face the challenge of dealing simultaneously with affects of thediagnosis on the family system as well as adhering to advice to start interventionimmediately. With the overwhelming growth of information on traditional and nontraditional therapies for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), a review of an
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WHAT IS AN ARTICULATION DISORDER? An articulation disorder is defined as the atypical production of speech sounds. It is characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions and/or distortions that may interfere with how well someone’s speech is understood. Articulation disorders can be classified as either functional or organic. Functional disorders have no known cause, where as organic
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WHAT IS A NEUROGENIC COMMUNICATION DISORDER? Neuropathologies or brain trauma often result in language deficits. Some characteristics you may observe in your loved one may include: improper use of words and their meanings, the inability to express ideas, inappropriate grammatical patterns, reduced vocabulary, and the inability to follow directions. A person’s cognition may also be
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What is an accent? The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines an accent as “the unique way that speech is pronounced by a group of people speaking the same language” (www.asha.org). Accents may be considered regional, resulting from a dialect of English (e.g., Southern American English), or foreign (e.g., Spanish-influenced English). An accent is not a speech impairment.
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