Glossary

Tools or strategies to help individuals with communication impairments express themselves, such as speech-generating devices or communication boards.

The national organization that certifies SLPs and audiologists and sets professional standards.

Difficulty performing mathematical calculations due to neurological conditions.

Accent Modification helps clients improve speech clarity for personal or professional reasons. SLPs guide pronunciation training through individualized, culturally sensitive techniques.

Dysphagia in adults refers to difficulty in swallowing, encompassing problems in the oral, pharyngeal, or esophageal phases of the swallowing process. It often results from neurological conditions, structural anomalies, or systemic diseases, leading to risks like aspiration, malnutrition, and dehydration.

Anomic aphasia is a mild, fluent aphasia marked by persistent word-finding difficulty despite otherwise intact speech.

Aphasia is an acquired language disorder caused by damage to the brain’s language regions, most commonly from stroke, that impairs the ability to understand or produce spoken, written, or gestural language. Despite intact intelligence, individuals with aphasia may have difficulty finding words, forming sentences, comprehending language, or using language appropriately in conversation.

A motor planning disorder where the brain struggles to coordinate muscle movements for speech.

Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder resulting from neurological injury, causing difficulty in planning and programming the movements needed for accurate speech production. Individuals know what they want to say, but their speech is distorted, slow, and marked by groping and sound sequencing errors.

Articulation is the physical process of shaping speech sounds using the lips, tongue, teeth, palate, and jaw.

Articulation disorders are motor-based speech sound disorders where specific phonemes are produced incorrectly, often affecting intelligibility. Treatment targets the placement and movement of articulators through drill-based and contextualized therapy.

Entry of food, liquid, or other materials into the airway below the vocal folds, which can lead to pneumonia and other respiratory complications.

Ataxic dysarthria results from cerebellar damage and causes uncoordinated, slurred speech with irregular rhythm and stress.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that can affect communication skills.

A condition where the brain has difficulty interpreting and making sense of sounds, despite normal hearing.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors. Language and communication abilities vary widely, with many individuals exhibiting pragmatic language impairments and atypical speech patterns.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating and feeding disorder characterized by restricted food intake that results in inadequate nutrition or energy, without concerns about body image or weight. It often stems from sensory sensitivities, low appetite, or fear of negative experiences like choking, leading to significant health and psychosocial consequences.

Phonological process where front sounds are replaced with back sounds.

Clinical assessment of swallowing function performed at patient's bedside.

Hearing loss in both ears, which can range from mild to profound and impact speech and language development.

Blocks are involuntary speech stoppages where airflow or voicing is momentarily halted, commonly in stuttering.

A bolus is a cohesive mass of food or liquid prepared for swallowing.

A general method for documenting speech sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), focusing on major sound features.

Broca’s aphasia is a nonfluent language disorder characterized by slow, effortful speech with preserved comprehension.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a pediatric motor speech disorder in which children struggle to coordinate the movements necessary for intelligible speech, despite having no muscle weakness. Speech errors are highly inconsistent and often accompanied by disrupted prosody and difficulty transitioning between sounds.

Cleft lip is a congenital separation in the upper lip that can be unilateral or bilateral, often impacting feeding and early speech sound development. Surgical repair typically occurs within the first year, followed by ongoing monitoring by an SLP and cleft team.

Cleft palate is a structural defect where the roof of the mouth fails to fully close, impairing feeding and speech due to velopharyngeal insufficiency. Intervention includes surgical repair, speech therapy for resonance and articulation, and interdisciplinary follow-up.

Simplification of consonant clusters by omitting one or more sounds.

Cluttering is a fluency disorder marked by an abnormally rapid and/or irregular rate of speech, often accompanied by disorganized language formulation and reduced intelligibility. Speakers who clutter produce excessive speech dysfluencies that are not typical of stuttering (e.g. mazes, filler words, word and phrase repetitions), and they frequently omit or slur sounds in longer words. 

Cochlear Implants provide access to sound for individuals with severe hearing loss. SLPs support language and auditory development before and after implantation.

A cognitive-communication disorder involves difficulty using language appropriately due to impairments in attention, memory, executive function, or reasoning. Speech may be fluent and grammatically correct, but the individual struggles with organizing thoughts, maintaining topics, interpreting social cues, or adapting language to context.

A communication disorder is an impairment in the ability to understand, express, or process language and speech through spoken, written, gestural, or symbolic forms. It may affect speech production, language comprehension or use, and auditory processing, and must interfere with social, academic, or daily functioning to be clinically significant.

A set of frequently used words that make up the majority of communication, often emphasized in AAC therapy.

The presence of different languages, dialects, and cultural communication patterns within communities.

Later-than-expected emergence of language skills.

Dementia is a progressive neurological condition that impairs memory, language, and other cognitive functions.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by significant difficulties in acquiring and executing coordinated motor skills, which interfere with daily functioning and are not explained by other medical or intellectual conditions. It often presents in childhood as clumsiness or motor delays and frequently co-occurs with speech-language impairments, ADHD, or learning disorders.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent difficulties in understanding and/or using spoken language, not attributable to hearing loss, intellectual disability, or other known conditions. It affects vocabulary, grammar, and discourse skills, often emerging in early childhood and significantly impacting academic, social, and communication development.

The ability to make rapid, alternating speech movements, often assessed during speech evaluations.

A genetic variation that may present with unique patterns of learning and development, including distinct speech and language characteristics.

Dysarthria is a motor speech disorder caused by neurological injury or disease that weakens or disrupts the coordination of muscles used for speech. Unlike language or fluency disorders, dysarthria impairs the execution of speech movements, often resulting in slurred, strained, or breathy speech.

Dysarthria in adults is a collective term for motor speech disorders resulting from neurological impairments affecting the strength, speed, range, steadiness, tone, or accuracy of movements required for speech. It can impact respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody.

Disruptions in the smooth flow of speech.

Abnormal, involuntary movements that can affect speech production.

Learning difference affecting reading and written language processing.

Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) is a disorder that disrupts the safe and efficient movement of food, liquids, or saliva through the oral, pharyngeal, or esophageal phases of swallowing. It can lead to risks such as aspiration, malnutrition, and dehydration and is commonly associated with neurological or structural impairments.

A voice disorder characterized by abnormal pitch, volume, or quality of the voice.

Early intervention is a system of services for infants and toddlers from birth to age three who have developmental delays or are at risk, aiming to support growth across cognitive, communicative, physical, social-emotional, and adaptive domains during a critical period of brain development. Services are family-centered, delivered in natural environments, and guided by an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Echolalia is the repetition of words or phrases spoken by others, often seen in individuals with autism or developmental disorders.

A type of infant or enteral formula composed of free amino acids rather than intact or partially broken-down proteins. These are used for infants with severe allergies or GI issues such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, as they are easier to digest and absorb.

Esophageal Dysphagia is characterized by difficulty moving food through the esophagus due to structural abnormalities or motility disorders.

A voice production method used by individuals who have had a laryngectomy, involving air pushed through the esophagus.

The integration of clinical expertise, patient preferences, and research evidence to guide therapy decisions.

Executive function deficits are impairments in cognitive processes like planning, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition control, often resulting from frontal lobe damage.

Higher-order cognitive processes including working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.

Expressive language refers to the ability to use words, phrases, and sentences to convey thoughts, needs, and ideas to others through speech, writing, gestures, or other forms of communication.

Expressive Language Disorder involves difficulties with verbal expression, including challenges in vocabulary, sentence formation, and narrative structure. Individuals may understand language normally but have significant trouble producing grammatically and semantically appropriate speech.

A nonverbal communication method involving eye movement, often used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

A procedure using a flexible endoscope to assess swallowing function by directly observing the throat during eating and drinking.

Omission of consonants at the ends of words.

Flaccid dysarthria is caused by lower motor neuron damage and features weak, breathy, and hypernasal speech.

Fluency refers to the smoothness, rhythm, and effort of spoken language.

Fluency disorders, including stuttering and cluttering, are characterized by disruptions in the flow of speech such as repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. SLPs assess the type and severity of disfluency and provide individualized therapy to increase fluency and reduce negative communication attitudes.

Practical and purposeful communication skills used in daily life, such as requesting or refusing.

A therapy approach that teaches individuals alternative ways to communicate effectively, reducing challenging behaviors.

A person-centered approach to voice and communication modification that helps align voice characteristics with gender identity.

A natural language development path where individuals initially learn and use language in whole, meaningful chunks or "gestalts" rather than single words.

A phonological process where liquids (e.g., /l/, /r/) are replaced with glides (e.g., /w/, /j/), commonly treated in speech therapy.

Global aphasia is a severe language disorder affecting all aspects of language comprehension and expression.

The process of identifying specific objectives for therapy based on individual needs and strengths.

The set of structural rules governing language, including syntax and morphology, often a focus in language therapy.

Interventions targeting the understanding and use of grammatical structures in spoken or written language.

Small units of language that add meaning to words, such as -s for plural or -ed for past tense, often targeted in therapy.

Movements involving large muscles, such as walking or jumping, which may indirectly affect speech development.

A therapy format involving multiple participants, promoting peer interaction and communication practice.

A belief in the ability to improve skills through effort and learning, encouraged in therapy to foster motivation.

The process of helping individuals develop skills or abilities they have not previously acquired.

A device that amplifies sound for individuals with hearing loss, often integrated into auditory rehabilitation.

Partial or total inability to hear, which may impact speech and language development.

Electronic or computer-based communication devices with complex capabilities.

Rough or harsh voice quality, often indicating vocal pathology.

Treatment considering the whole person, including physical, social, and emotional aspects.

Therapy activities assigned for practice at home to reinforce skills learned in sessions.

Hyperkinetic dysarthria is a speech disorder caused by involuntary movements that disrupt the rhythm and clarity of speech.

Excessive nasal resonance during speech, often associated with velopharyngeal dysfunction.

Hypokinetic dysarthria is characterized by reduced vocal loudness and monotonous, slurred speech, commonly seen in Parkinson’s disease.

Reduced nasal resonance during speech, often due to nasal obstruction.

Global standardized terminology and definitions for texture-modified foods and thickened liquids.

The practice of integrating individuals with disabilities into general education or community settings.

A legally binding plan outlining special education services and goals for students with disabilities.

Intellectual disability (ID) is a developmental condition characterized by significantly below-average intellectual functioning and deficits in adaptive behaviors that emerge before age 18.

The clarity of speech and the ease with which it can be understood by others.

A planned program or strategy designed to address specific speech, language, or communication needs.

A feeding tube surgically placed directly into the jejunum (middle section of the small intestine), bypassing the stomach to provide nutrition, hydration, and medication.

The shared focus between two individuals on an object or activity, a critical skill in language development.

A motor speech disorder in children affecting the planning and sequencing of movements required for speech.

A tool used in therapy to assess what a client Knows, Wants to know, and has Learned about a topic.

A communication system that uses manual signs alongside speech to support language development and comprehension, typically signing only the most important words in a sentence.

Physical prompts, such as hand movements, used to guide clients in producing accurate speech sounds.

A learning style that emphasizes hands-on activities, often incorporated into speech therapy sessions for better engagement.