Albania State Exam - Speech Therapist key terms

An acquired language disorder caused by damage to the language-dominant hemisphere, affecting comprehension, production, naming, or repetition while cognition is largely preserved. It affects all language modalities to varying degrees and is distinct from motor speech disorders.

A group of motor speech disorders caused by damage to the central or peripheral nervous system, producing weakness, slowness, incoordination, or altered tone in the speech muscles. Speech is often slurred or imprecise, but language content remains intact.

A motor speech planning and programming disorder in which the person knows what to say but has difficulty sequencing the movements needed to say it. Errors are inconsistent, with groping and distorted substitutions, and worsen with complexity.

A pattern often seen in nonfluent aphasia in which speech omits grammatical function words and inflectional endings, leaving short, telegraphic utterances. Comprehension of syntactically complex sentences is also typically impaired.

A dysarthria resulting from lower motor neuron damage, producing weakness, reduced muscle tone, and often breathy voice, hypernasality, and imprecise consonants. Reflexes are reduced and muscle atrophy may be present.

The ability to detect and manipulate the sound structure of spoken language, including syllables, rhymes, and individual phonemes. It is a strong predictor of literacy development and a common target in early intervention.

A speech sound disorder in which a child uses a rule-governed but nonstandard sound system, producing consistent error patterns such as final consonant deletion or fronting. Errors reflect underlying phonological processes rather than motor difficulty.

A speech sound disorder involving difficulty producing individual sounds correctly due to motor or structural factors, such as a distorted /r/ or a lisp. Errors are typically consistent in all positions of words.

A persistent language difficulty that emerges in childhood without a known biomedical cause and interferes with everyday communication or learning. It affects comprehension and/or expression and is not explained by hearing loss or intellectual disability.

Language development that follows the normal sequence but proceeds more slowly than expected for the child's age. Unlike a disorder, a delay may resolve with maturation or intervention.

The average number of morphemes per utterance in a language sample, used as a developmental index of grammatical complexity. It rises predictably with age in early childhood and helps guide goal setting.

A client's ability to produce a targeted sound correctly when given a model or cue, even if not yet spontaneous. It is a favorable prognostic indicator and helps decide which sounds to target first.

Short utterances containing mainly content words while omitting function words and inflections, typical of early child language and of agrammatic aphasia. It conveys meaning but lacks grammatical completeness.

A historical term for a language disorder in children with normal nonverbal intelligence and no obvious sensory or neurological cause. It is now largely subsumed under the broader category of developmental language disorder.

A fluency disorder characterized by involuntary repetitions, prolongations, and blocks that disrupt the forward flow of speech. It may be accompanied by physical tension, avoidance behaviors, and negative emotional reactions.

A fluency disorder marked by rapid, irregular speech rate, excessive disfluencies, and unclear articulation, often with poor self-monitoring. Unlike stuttering, the speaker is frequently unaware of the disruption.

Learned reactions that accompany stuttering, such as eye blinks, head movements, word avoidance, or situational avoidance. They develop as attempts to escape or hide moments of disfluency.

The smooth, effortless, and continuous flow of speech at an appropriate rate with natural rhythm and prosody. Disruptions in fluency are the defining feature of stuttering and cluttering.

Difficulty with swallowing that may occur in the oral, pharyngeal, or esophageal stage and can lead to choking, aspiration, malnutrition, or dehydration. Management often involves texture modification and compensatory strategies.

The entry of food, liquid, or secretions into the airway below the level of the true vocal folds. It may be silent, without coughing, and places the person at risk for pneumonia.

Entry of material into the laryngeal vestibule that does not pass below the vocal folds. It is distinguished from aspiration and is often rated on a standardized swallowing scale.

Aspiration that occurs without a cough or other outward sign because protective airway reflexes are absent or reduced. It is especially common after stroke and requires instrumental assessment to detect.

An instrumental swallowing assessment using fluoroscopy and barium-coated materials to visualize the oral and pharyngeal stages of swallowing in real time. It identifies aspiration, penetration, and residue to guide safe recommendations.

A graph showing hearing threshold levels in decibels across tested frequencies for each ear. It documents the type, degree, and configuration of hearing loss and guides amplification and communication planning.

A behavioral hearing test in which tones of varying frequency and intensity are presented to determine the softest level the person can hear. Results are plotted on an audiogram for each ear.

Hearing loss caused by obstruction or dysfunction in the outer or middle ear that reduces sound transmission to the inner ear. It typically produces a conductive gap on the audiogram and is often medically or surgically treatable.

Hearing loss resulting from damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve, producing reduced sensitivity and often poorer speech discrimination. It is usually permanent and managed with amplification or cochlear implantation.

Inflammation or infection of the middle ear, often with fluid accumulation that causes temporary conductive hearing loss. Recurrent episodes in early childhood can affect speech and language development.

The lowest intensity at which a person can correctly repeat about half of a list of familiar spondaic words. It cross-checks pure-tone thresholds and helps estimate functional hearing for speech.

A surgically implanted device that converts sound into electrical signals delivered directly to the auditory nerve. It can provide useful hearing for people with severe to profound sensorineural loss who receive limited benefit from hearing aids.

The cartilaginous structure at the top of the trachea that houses the vocal folds and serves voice production, airway protection, and breathing. Its position and function are central to both phonation and swallowing.

Paired folds of tissue within the larynx that vibrate to produce voice when air passes between them. Their mass, tension, and closure pattern determine pitch, loudness, and voice quality.

A voice disorder in which quality, pitch, loudness, or effort is abnormal for the speaker's age and sex. Causes include vocal fold lesions, neurological conditions, and misuse or overuse.

Benign callous-like growths on the vocal folds, usually at the midpoint of the vibrating edge, caused by chronic vocal strain. They produce hoarseness and are treated with voice therapy and, if needed, surgery.

Excessive nasal resonance during speech caused by incomplete closure of the velopharyngeal port, so air escapes through the nose on non-nasal sounds. It is common in cleft palate and some dysarthrias.

The valve formed by the soft palate and the pharyngeal walls that separates the nasal cavity from the oral cavity during speech and swallowing. Its closure is essential for normal oral resonance and for preventing nasal regurgitation.

A set of strategies, symbols, and devices that supplement or replace spoken language for people with severe communication impairments. It ranges from simple picture boards to high-tech speech-generating devices.

The systematic transcription and analysis of a client's spontaneous speech to measure vocabulary, grammar, and discourse skills. It provides a naturalistic complement to standardized testing.

A client's voluntary agreement to assessment or treatment after receiving clear information about its purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives. It respects autonomy and is a core ethical and legal requirement.

The ethical and legal obligation to protect client information from unauthorized disclosure. It may be breached only with consent or when required by law, such as in cases of imminent harm.