Hearing and Communication Disorders
| Alzheimer’s/ Dementia: The term "dementia" describes symptoms related to memory loss and overall cognitive impairment. Alzheimer's Disease is the most common and well-studied cause of dementia and affects up to 70% of those diagnosed with dementia. Dementia has many causes and is progressive in nature and often irreversible. The symptoms vary slightly depending on the diagnosis, but dementia is characterized by subtle memory loss that gradually worsens over time. As the disease progresses an individual may experience episodes of confusion like getting lost in familiar areas or problems handling personal affairs (finances, housekeeping, grooming, etc.). Personality changes, such as depression, difficulty following simple directions, and decreasing communication skills are also common symptoms. Difficulty swallowing can also occur. |
| Apraxia: Oral motor difficulties are often termed as Apraxia. Other common references include apraxia of speech, verbal apraxia, and dyspraxia. In essence, apraxia is a speech disorder caused by damage to the parts of the nervous system that control speech. People with apraxia know what words they want to say, but their brains have difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words. The severity of apraxia depends on the nature and severity of the damage to the nervous system. |
| Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) refers to ways (other than speech) that are used to send a message from one person to another. These assistive techniques are used for young children who’s ability to speak is delayed and need help communicating as they are learning to talk. It is important to note that augmentative communication users don't stop using speech. In fact, when standard speech is used in conjunction with special augmentative communication, not only does overall communication ability increase, but also so does performance in social interactions and in school. Feelings of self-worth are enhanced and job opportunities are improved. Augmentative or alternative communication may be as straightforward as helping people to use gestures, sign language, pictures, drawings or special symbols to communicate. More advanced communication aids such as language boards and electronic devices are also used. For example, electronic devices are available that can “speak” in response to entries on a standard keyboard, a computer touch screen, or from any number of different switches. These inputs can be controlled with motions as simple as a push of a button, a puff of air, or the wrinkle of an eyebrow. |
| Auditory Processing Disorder: When people have difficulty “making sense” of speech sounds despite having normal hearing acuity they are described as having Auditory Processing Disorder. The symptoms include poor listening skills, difficulty following directions, inattentiveness and the tendency to be easily distracted. Other symptoms include problems with reading, spelling, and memory. |
| Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental (nervous system) disorder. People with ASD often display patterns of restricted and repetitive behaviors. There is usually some degree of cognitive impairment as well characterized by difficulty with communication and social interaction. Indeed, significantly impaired communication is a key indicator of this diagnosis. Individuals with ASD have significant difficulty with using and understanding words and gestures, and often have varying degrees of self-absorption and the inability to be engaged with others people. Treatment is provided through individual practitioners and community clinics as well as through local pre-school and school-age programs. Effective intervention will focus on helping the child or adult use words and gestures more efficiently, becoming a more efficient initiator of language and communication partner. |
| Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Disorder: A craniofacial disorder refers to an abnormality of the face and/or the head. Craniofacial differences can result from abnormal growth patterns of the face or skull, which involves soft tissue and bones. A craniofacial condition may affect a child's speech production and/or swallowing abilities. |
| Corporate Speech Pathology: Corporate speech-language pathologists work as consultants to businesses. Among the professional communication services provided are accent reduction, speech and voice improvement, and public speaking instruction. Corporate speech language pathologists often focus on cultural sensitivity as it relates to communication and business communication etiquette. |
| Developmental Delay: Developmental Delay is when your child does not reach developmental milestones at the expected times. It is an ongoing, major delay in the process of development. If your child is slightly or only temporarily lagging behind, that is not called developmental delay. Delay can occur in one or many areas—for example, motor, language, social, or thinking skills. |
| English Language Learners: Speech Language Pathologists also work with people who use English as a second language. Non-native speakers of English often need special assistance, strategies or instruction. This can be especially important for students (of all ages). |
| Hearing Related Speech and Language Difficulties: Speech and language performance is affected by hearing loss. These issues often interfere with academic success. |
| Language Learning Disabilities: Individuals may be slow to develop language comprehension or the use of language to express themselves. Language learning disabilities are caused by a difference in brain structure that is present at birth and is often hereditary. These problems interfere with age-appropriate reading, spelling, and writing, and as a result often lead to difficulty in school. This disorder does not impair the development of intelligence, however. In fact, most people diagnosed with language learning disabilities possess average to superior intelligence. The term dyslexia has been used to refer to the specific learning problem of reading. Because of the increased recognition of the relationship between spoken and written language, and the frequent presence of spoken language problems in children with reading problems, the term language-based learning disabilities, or just learning disabilities, is more accurate. Speech Language Pathologists facilitate the understanding and use of language for people with learning disabilities. |
| Literacy and Reading: Language-based reading disabilities - children with oral language impairments often experience difficulty in reading and writing as well. This can take the form of difficulty with actually sounding out the word (decoding); the acquisition of skills that support learning to decode, such as blending individual sounds to form words or breaking words into their individual sounds (phonological awareness); the understanding of what is read (reading comprehension); or their ability to write their thoughts and ideas using words and sentences in a cohesive, organized manner. |
| Neurological Disorders: Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and ALS are all examples of neurological disorders affect communication skills. They result from damage to the central nervous system and create weakness, involuntary muscle movement, and/or paralysis. |