What is Speech-Language Pathology?
Speech-Language Pathology is the study of communication and swallowing disorders. Communication is a two-way exchange of information that involves the processes of sending and receiving messages between two communication partners. A child who presents with a speech and/or language disorder may experience difficulties achieving academic achievement, social satisfaction, and self-confidence. A child’s ability to communicate with a variety of communication partners is an important factor in his/her success throughout life.
Who is a Speech-Language Pathologist?
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are professionals who are trained to prevent, screen, evaluate, and diagnose articulation, phonological, voice, fluency, language, and swallowing disorders (dysphagia). A certified Speech-Language Pathologist must hold a Master’s degree and should be certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The initials CCC-SLP, which are often written as a part of a professional’s credentials, indicate certification with ASHA. Many SLPs are also licensed by their state of residence, which is a prerequisite to working in clinics or hospitals. SLPs may work in a variety of settings which include public and/or private schools, clinics, hospitals, a rehabilitation centers, and home health agencies.
What is articulation & phonology?
Articulation refers to the motor act that produces sounds from one’s mouth that combine to form words. Speech is the complex product of movements produced by coordinating efforts of one’s lips, tongue, teeth, palate, vocal folds, and lungs.
An articulation disorder occurs when a child does not develop the motor ability to produce some or all sounds necessary for speech that are normally used at a particular age and may be secondary to a structural problem or neurological disorder. However, the vast majority of articulation disorders occur with unknown causes. Regardless of the cause, articulation errors may be characterized by the omission of sounds, the distortion of sounds, or the substitution of one sound for another. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for children with articulation disorders, however, a structural problem in a child’s oral-motor mechanism may necessitate a referral to medical professional(s) prior to the start of intervention.
Phonology refers to the rules of how sounds are organized and used in a particular language. As a child normally develops sound production skills, he/she will often exhibit common sound errors, known as phonological processes. Phonological processes are a predictable part of a child’s early phonological development and they typically disappear as a child progresses through developmental stages. Some examples of common phonological processes, which are observed early in a child’s development, include the following: final consonant deletion, consonant cluster reduction, fronting, and stopping.
A phonological disorder occurs when a child does not develop the ability to sequentially produce some or all of the sounds necessary for speech that are normally used at his/her age and dialect. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for children with phonological disorders.
What is voice?
Voice refers to the sounds that are dependent upon the flow of air from the lungs that travels through the trachea, then passes the gap between the vocal in the larynx, and eventually flows out past the lips. The vocal folds are separated relatively widely during quiet breathing but come closely together during sound production (phonation). The position of the vocal folds during speech determines in part the type of sounds produced. Vowels and voiced consonants like /b/, /d/, and /g/ require vibration of the vocal folds, while voiceless sounds such as the consonants /p/, /t/, and /k/ do not. Voiceless sounds like /p/, /t/, and /k/ are produced by turbulence of the air in the upper vocal tract (oral cavity).
A voice disorder occurs when a child abuses his/her vocal mechanism by using inappropriate vocal volume, pitch, or quality. Some problematic behaviors include the following: excessive talking, throat clearing, coughing, inhaling irritants, smoking, screaming, elevated vocal volume, and use of an abnormally high or low pitch. These behaviors may result in vocal nodules, polyps, or cysts, as well as contact ulcers and temporary and/or permanent change in voice. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to provide intervention for voice disorders that are caused by vocal abuse.
What is fluency?
Fluency refers to the forward flow of speech. For most speakers, fluent speech is easy and effortless and is characterized by speech that is free of any interruptions, blockages, or fragmentations. All speakers experience some level of disfluency. For example, people may insert short sounds or words, referred to as "interjections," when speaking; examples of such are "um," "like," or "uh." Also, speakers might repeat phrases, revise words or phrases, or sometimes repeat whole words for the purpose of clarification. For young children, disfluency is often a part of the normal development of speech during the preschool years (between the ages of 2-5 years).
A fluency disorder (stuttering) occurs when a child experiences excessive breakdowns or blockages in the forward flow of speech. The disfluencies produced by people who stutter will often be similar to those in the speech of individuals who do not stutter. However, certain types of disfluent behavior are likely to appear only in the speech of people who stutter including sound and syllable repetitions (e.g. ca-ca-ca-cat), sound prolongations ("shhhhh-shoe,"), and complete blockages of airflow. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for fluency disorders.
What is language?
Language refers to the form (morphology & syntax), content (semantics), and use (pragmatics) of verbal and non-verbal messages that are spoken, written, read, or heard. There are two main aspects of a child’s language skills, including receptive language and expressive language. The ability to process and comprehend language represents a child’s receptive language skills. The ability to formulate a spoken or written message represents a child’s expressive language skills.
A language disorder occurs when a child demonstrates any one or combination of the following symptoms (which represent a sample of common manifestations): difficulty understanding auditory or visual directions, inappropriate responses to verbal and/or non-verbal information, reduced reading and/or listening comprehension, difficulty understanding abstract & figurative language, difficulty demonstrating efficient and accurate word choice, grammatical errors, and difficulty with the ability to demonstrate acceptable social skills. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for receptive and expressive language disorders.
What is dysphagia?
Dysphagia refers to a swallowing disorder, which may occur in any or all of the stages of the swallow mechanism. The Swallowing Mechanism consists of four stages and are described in the following paragraph. A Speech-Language Pathologist may be qualified to provide intervention for swallowing difficulties that arise in stages 1, 2, & 3.
1. Oral Preparatory Stage - This stage involves preparing the food or liquid to be swallowed. It includes receiving food and liquid in the mouth, keeping food in the mouth, moving the food from side to side, and chewing.
2. Oral Stage - This stage involves moving food/liquid from the front to the back of the mouth. It requires adequate lip, tongue, and cheek movement and strength.
3. Pharyngeal Stage - This stage involves movement of the food/liquid through the throat into the esophagus (the tube connecting the throat to the stomach). uring this stage, adequate protection of the airway is needed to prevent misdirection of material into the airway.
4. Esophageal Stage - This stage involves movement of food through the esophagus and eventually into the stomach.
American Speech-Language Hearing Association
This website is the home to the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 127,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. ASHA may serve parents and professionals as a resource that provides information on speech & language development and disorders. Additional features include discussion forums on a variety of topics and a professional directory to find a local Speech-Language Pathologist.
Illinois Speech-Language Hearing Association
This website is home to a non-profit organization representing 4,000 licensed professionals with advanced degrees in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. ISHA may serve parents and professionals as a resource that provides information on speech & language development and disorders, as well as legislative issues relevant to the professions.
Speech-Language Pathology is the study of communication and swallowing disorders. Communication is a two-way exchange of information that involves the processes of sending and receiving messages between two communication partners. A child who presents with a speech and/or language disorder may experience difficulties achieving academic achievement, social satisfaction, and self-confidence. A child’s ability to communicate with a variety of communication partners is an important factor in his/her success throughout life.
Who is a Speech-Language Pathologist?
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are professionals who are trained to prevent, screen, evaluate, and diagnose articulation, phonological, voice, fluency, language, and swallowing disorders (dysphagia). A certified Speech-Language Pathologist must hold a Master’s degree and should be certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The initials CCC-SLP, which are often written as a part of a professional’s credentials, indicate certification with ASHA. Many SLPs are also licensed by their state of residence, which is a prerequisite to working in clinics or hospitals. SLPs may work in a variety of settings which include public and/or private schools, clinics, hospitals, a rehabilitation centers, and home health agencies.
What is articulation & phonology?
Articulation refers to the motor act that produces sounds from one’s mouth that combine to form words. Speech is the complex product of movements produced by coordinating efforts of one’s lips, tongue, teeth, palate, vocal folds, and lungs.
An articulation disorder occurs when a child does not develop the motor ability to produce some or all sounds necessary for speech that are normally used at a particular age and may be secondary to a structural problem or neurological disorder. However, the vast majority of articulation disorders occur with unknown causes. Regardless of the cause, articulation errors may be characterized by the omission of sounds, the distortion of sounds, or the substitution of one sound for another. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for children with articulation disorders, however, a structural problem in a child’s oral-motor mechanism may necessitate a referral to medical professional(s) prior to the start of intervention.
Phonology refers to the rules of how sounds are organized and used in a particular language. As a child normally develops sound production skills, he/she will often exhibit common sound errors, known as phonological processes. Phonological processes are a predictable part of a child’s early phonological development and they typically disappear as a child progresses through developmental stages. Some examples of common phonological processes, which are observed early in a child’s development, include the following: final consonant deletion, consonant cluster reduction, fronting, and stopping.
A phonological disorder occurs when a child does not develop the ability to sequentially produce some or all of the sounds necessary for speech that are normally used at his/her age and dialect. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for children with phonological disorders.
What is voice?
Voice refers to the sounds that are dependent upon the flow of air from the lungs that travels through the trachea, then passes the gap between the vocal in the larynx, and eventually flows out past the lips. The vocal folds are separated relatively widely during quiet breathing but come closely together during sound production (phonation). The position of the vocal folds during speech determines in part the type of sounds produced. Vowels and voiced consonants like /b/, /d/, and /g/ require vibration of the vocal folds, while voiceless sounds such as the consonants /p/, /t/, and /k/ do not. Voiceless sounds like /p/, /t/, and /k/ are produced by turbulence of the air in the upper vocal tract (oral cavity).
A voice disorder occurs when a child abuses his/her vocal mechanism by using inappropriate vocal volume, pitch, or quality. Some problematic behaviors include the following: excessive talking, throat clearing, coughing, inhaling irritants, smoking, screaming, elevated vocal volume, and use of an abnormally high or low pitch. These behaviors may result in vocal nodules, polyps, or cysts, as well as contact ulcers and temporary and/or permanent change in voice. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to provide intervention for voice disorders that are caused by vocal abuse.
What is fluency?
Fluency refers to the forward flow of speech. For most speakers, fluent speech is easy and effortless and is characterized by speech that is free of any interruptions, blockages, or fragmentations. All speakers experience some level of disfluency. For example, people may insert short sounds or words, referred to as "interjections," when speaking; examples of such are "um," "like," or "uh." Also, speakers might repeat phrases, revise words or phrases, or sometimes repeat whole words for the purpose of clarification. For young children, disfluency is often a part of the normal development of speech during the preschool years (between the ages of 2-5 years).
A fluency disorder (stuttering) occurs when a child experiences excessive breakdowns or blockages in the forward flow of speech. The disfluencies produced by people who stutter will often be similar to those in the speech of individuals who do not stutter. However, certain types of disfluent behavior are likely to appear only in the speech of people who stutter including sound and syllable repetitions (e.g. ca-ca-ca-cat), sound prolongations ("shhhhh-shoe,"), and complete blockages of airflow. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for fluency disorders.
What is language?
Language refers to the form (morphology & syntax), content (semantics), and use (pragmatics) of verbal and non-verbal messages that are spoken, written, read, or heard. There are two main aspects of a child’s language skills, including receptive language and expressive language. The ability to process and comprehend language represents a child’s receptive language skills. The ability to formulate a spoken or written message represents a child’s expressive language skills.
A language disorder occurs when a child demonstrates any one or combination of the following symptoms (which represent a sample of common manifestations): difficulty understanding auditory or visual directions, inappropriate responses to verbal and/or non-verbal information, reduced reading and/or listening comprehension, difficulty understanding abstract & figurative language, difficulty demonstrating efficient and accurate word choice, grammatical errors, and difficulty with the ability to demonstrate acceptable social skills. A Speech-Language Pathologist is qualified to diagnose and provide intervention for receptive and expressive language disorders.
What is dysphagia?
Dysphagia refers to a swallowing disorder, which may occur in any or all of the stages of the swallow mechanism. The Swallowing Mechanism consists of four stages and are described in the following paragraph. A Speech-Language Pathologist may be qualified to provide intervention for swallowing difficulties that arise in stages 1, 2, & 3.
1. Oral Preparatory Stage - This stage involves preparing the food or liquid to be swallowed. It includes receiving food and liquid in the mouth, keeping food in the mouth, moving the food from side to side, and chewing.
2. Oral Stage - This stage involves moving food/liquid from the front to the back of the mouth. It requires adequate lip, tongue, and cheek movement and strength.
3. Pharyngeal Stage - This stage involves movement of the food/liquid through the throat into the esophagus (the tube connecting the throat to the stomach). uring this stage, adequate protection of the airway is needed to prevent misdirection of material into the airway.
4. Esophageal Stage - This stage involves movement of food through the esophagus and eventually into the stomach.
American Speech-Language Hearing Association
This website is the home to the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 127,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. ASHA may serve parents and professionals as a resource that provides information on speech & language development and disorders. Additional features include discussion forums on a variety of topics and a professional directory to find a local Speech-Language Pathologist.
Illinois Speech-Language Hearing Association
This website is home to a non-profit organization representing 4,000 licensed professionals with advanced degrees in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. ISHA may serve parents and professionals as a resource that provides information on speech & language development and disorders, as well as legislative issues relevant to the professions.