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AAC
(Augmentative and alternative communication; augmentative communication) Refers to ways (other than speech) that are used to send a message from one person to another. We all use augmentative communication techniques, such as facial expressions, gestures and writing, as part of our daily lives. In difficult listening situations (noisy rooms, for example), we tend to augment our words with even more gestures and exaggerated facial expressions.

ADHD
(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) A neurobiological condition seen primarily in the school-aged population that affects one’s ability to maintain attention.

Aphasia
A disorder that results from damage to language centers of the brain. Individuals who were previously able to communicate through speaking, listening, reading and writing become more limited in their ability to do so. The most common cause of aphasia is stroke, but gunshot wounds, blows to the head, other traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, and other sources of brain damage can also cause aphasia.

Apraxia
Apraxia (also referred to as apraxia of speech, verbal apraxia or dyspraxia) is a speech disorder characterized by deficits in motor planning for speech.

Articulation
Articulation refers to speech sound production. Speech sounds are classified according to the place of articulation, manner of articulation and presence or absence of voice.

Articulation disorders
Disorders of speech sound production characterized by substitution, omission and/or distortion of sounds.

Audiologists
A professional who identifies and manages hearing problems. They assess the presence and extent of hearing loss and recommend appropriate treatment that may include the selection of a hearing aid or training in speech production.

Auditory processing
In general, auditory processing is viewed as what a person does when his/her ear receives an auditory message and the central nervous system extracts the meaningful information from that message, eventually, comprehending or putting meaning to the message. Auditory processing, then, can be viewed as the various steps or “processes” involved once an auditory message leaves the inner ear and travels from the inner ear (known as the cochlea) through the central nervous system to the brain and then is acted upon by various components of the brain.

Auditory processing assessment
Testing which is done to determine if a student is processing auditory information (that which he/she hears) effectively. This testing can take 1-2 hours to complete.

Auditory processing disorder
Auditory processing is a term used to describe what happens when your brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around you. Humans hear when energy that we recognize as sound travels through the ear and is changed into electrical information that can be interpreted by the brain. The “disorder” part of auditory processing disorder means that something is adversely affecting the processing or interpretation of the information. (National Institute of Health definition)

Auditory processing skills
The processes used to organize incoming (receptive) verbal or nonverbal auditory information. These skills include auditory discrimination between sounds, auditory memory, auditory perception, auditory synthesis and auditory figure-ground.

Auditory processing therapy
Therapy designed to help a student overcome an auditory processing disorder. Students attend 1-3 hours of individual therapy sessions per week to re-train the pathway to the brain that transmits auditory information. This process can take from 12-20 weeks depending on the severity of the disability.

Augmentative and alternative communication
(AAC; augmentative communication) Refers to ways (other than speech) that are used to send a message from one person to another.

Central Auditory Processing Disorder
(CAPD) A condition in which one has difficulty processing or interpreting auditory information when presented in a less than optimal listening environment; difficulty understanding and/or processing spoken language in the absence of hearing loss. CAPD is diagnosed by an audiologist.

Central Auditory Processing
(CAPD) A condition in which one has difficulty processing or interpreting auditory information when presented in a less than optimal listening environment; difficulty understanding and/or processing spoken language in the absence of hearing loss. CAPD is diagnosed by an audiologist.

Cognition
The mental process of knowing, thinking, learning and judging.

Communication
A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.

Comprehensive educational assessment
Testing which is done to determine where a student is performing in comparison to other children his/her age. A comprehensive assessment includes cognitive as well as academic testing. Many different types of tests are used, and it takes several hours to complete.

Developmental delay
Behind schedule in reaching milestones of early childhood development.

Developmental screenings
Children are evaluated in a number of different areas including: motor skills (walking, hopping, skipping), language acquisition (how many words they know), speech (how clearly they can say words), understanding of concepts (colors, parts of their body, numbers, letters), social development, self-help skills, vision and hearing. Children are compared to children their same age to determine if their development is on track.

Dysfluency
Disruption in the smooth flow or expression of speech.

Expressive language
The ability to express our ideas with words.

Hearing aids
Devices which amplify sound to help persons with hearing loss.

Hearing impaired
Any degree of loss of hearing that has an impact on one’s activities of daily living or that requires special assistance or intervention.

Hearing loss
A reduction in the ability to perceive sound; may range from slight to complete deafness.

Hyperlexia
Most notable for incredible rote reading skills starting at an early age.

Hyponasality
Hyponasality refers to a lack of air exiting through the nose during speech production, which can make overall speech difficult to understand. Hyponasality usually results from some sort of blockage in the nasal area, often due to enlarged adenoids or some other source of nasal congestion. In English, “m”, “n’ and “ing” are sounds where clear production depends upon free passage of air through the nose.

Language
Any means of conveying or communicating ideas; a symbolic system for representing thoughts and ideas. Language can include spoken words, written words, signs, gestures, picture systems and facial expressions.

Language delay
Language delays refer to difficulties people exhibit and experience in learning to talk, understand, or use any aspect of language appropriately as compared to expectations for typically developing individuals at similar developmental levels and in similar environments.

Language disabilities/disorders
Disabilities related to both the sensory and motor aspects of language; includes impairments in understanding of written and spoken language and impairments in speaking and writing language.

Language-based learning disabilities
Language-based learning disabilities interfere with age-appropriate reading, spelling, and/or writing. Most people diagnosed with learning disabilities possess average to superior intelligence. Learning disabilities are caused by a difference in brain structure that is present at birth, is often hereditary, and often related to specific language problems.

Language therapy
Rehabilitation of persons with language disorders or training of children or adults with language disorders.

Late talker
Late talker is a term used to describe children between the ages of 18 to 20 months who have fewer than 10 words and children between the ages of 21 to 30 months who have fewer than 50 words and/or no two-word combinations. These children are, however, typically developing in the areas of comprehension, play, motor or cognitive/learning skills

Learning disabilities
Disorders in one or more of the basic cognitive and psychological processes involved in understanding or using written or spoken language; may be manifested in age-related impairment in the ability to read, write, spell, speak or perform mathematical calculations.

Multi-sensory program
Learning involves the use of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways simultaneously to enhance memory and learning of written language. Links are consistently made between the visual (language we see), auditory (language we hear), and kinesthetic-tactile (language symbols we feel) pathways in learning to read and spell.

Orton-Gillingham methods
The Orton-Gillingham methodology utilizes phonetics and emphasizes visual (what we see), auditory (what we hear) and kinesthetic (what we touch/feel) learning styles. Instruction begins by focusing on the structure of language and gradually moves towards reading. The program provides students with immediate feedback and a predictable sequence that integrates reading, writing, and spelling.

Occupational therapy
A form of therapy that encourages and instructs manual activities for therapeutic or remedial purposes in mental and physical disorders. Occupational therapy also encompasses sensory regulation and processing.

Oral Motor Deficits
Problems with movements of any muscles in the mouth and throat that my cause problems with swallowing, eating, speaking.

Orofacial myofunctional disorder
With an orofacial myofunctional disorder (OMD), the tongue moves forward in an exaggerated way during speech and/or swallowing. The tongue may also lie too far forward during rest, or may protrude inappropriately between the upper and lower teeth during speech, swallowing, and at rest.

Otitis media
Infection and inflammation of the middle ear space and ear drum. Symptoms include earache, fever and in some cases, diminished hearing.

Phonation
The process of producing voice or vocal sounds by means of vocal fold vibration in an expiratory blast of air.

Phonology
Phonology is the sound system of language and includes the rules for combining sounds together in meaningful syllables, words and sentences. The phonology of language tells us how sounds fit together in words.

Pragmatic language
The practical ability to use language in a social setting and changing social situations. Knowing what is appropriate to say, where and when to say it; and the give and take nature of conversation.

Reading therapy
Therapy designed to help a student overcome a reading disability such as dyslexia. Students attend individual or small group therapy sessions 1-3 hours per week to retrain the pathways to the brain that process auditory and visual (letters and words) information. This process can take from 20-100 weeks depending on the severity of the disability.

Research-based curricula
Any materials used to teach, which have been studied and shown to be effective.

Receptive language
The ability to understand words and ideas.

Research-based curriculum
A specific set of materials which have undergone rigorous evaluation and have been shown to be effective.

Screening
Simple, informal and gross assessment of skills. Screenings identify individuals who are in need of more formal, comprehensive evaluation.

Sensory integration
The way the senses are used to understand the environment; the taking in and processing of sensory information, and then formulating an appropriate response.

Speech
The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds; the power of speaking.

Speech and language pathology
The study of speech or language disorders and their diagnosis and correction. Speech-language pathology is a field dedicated to the development and improvement of skills for individuals with communication and swallowing difficulties. Such impairments can include aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia, cognitive impairments, dysphagia, articulation and phonology disorders, language delays and disorders and pragmatic language deficits.

Speech delay
In general, a child is considered to have speech delay if the child’s speech development is significantly below the norm for children of the same age. A child with speech delay has speech development that is typical of a normally developing child of a younger chronologic age; the speech-delayed child’s skills are acquired in a normal sequence, but at a slower-than-normal rate.

Speech disorders
Long-term disorders in speaking or in perception of speech.

Speech-language pathologists
(SLP, also referred to as speech-language therapist) Professional who assesses, identifies and treats problems related to communication and/or swallowing.

Speech-language therapy
Any therapy intended to correct a disorder of speech, language or communication.

Stuttering
(also called dysfluency) A disorder of speech fluency that interrupts the forward flow of speech. All individuals are dysfluent at times, but what differentiates the person who stutters from someone with normal speech dysfluencies is the kind and amount of the dysfluencies.

Tutoring
See intervention.

Therapy
See intervention.