Kuwait MOH Speech-Language Therapist flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

PCC severity bands

Percent consonants correct: 85-100% mild, 65-84% mild-moderate, 50-64% moderate-severe, below 50% severe. Used to quantify speech sound disorder severity from a connected speech sample.

Maximal oppositions approach

A phonological treatment that contrasts sounds differing by multiple features (e.g., /m/ vs /ʃ/) to promote broader system-wide change rather than single-sound learning.

Developmental language disorder

A persistent language impairment not explained by hearing loss, intellectual disability, or other biomedical condition; it affects comprehension and/or production and requires long-term support.

Late talker criteria

Fewer than 50 words at 24 months or no two-word combinations at 30 months. Risk factors such as poor comprehension and family history justify immediate referral.

MLU stages

Mean length of utterance in morphemes tracks grammatical development: 1.0-2.0 (14-26 months), 2.0-2.5 (27-30), 2.5-3.0 (31-34), 3.0-3.75 (35-40), 3.75-4.5 (41-46), 4.5+ (47+).

Conduction aphasia

Fluent aphasia with relatively preserved comprehension but markedly impaired repetition, caused by damage to the arcuate fasciculus connecting Broca's and Wernicke's areas.

Hypokinetic dysarthria

Dysarthria associated with Parkinson disease, characterized by monopitch, monoloudness, reduced loudness, rapid rate, and imprecise articulation; LSVT LOUD is a common treatment.

Apraxia of speech

A motor planning disorder with distorted substitutions, groping, syllable segmentation, and islands of fluent automatic speech; errors increase with complexity and are inconsistent.

GRBAS scale

A perceptual voice rating scale scoring Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain, each on a 0-3 severity scale; used for dysphonia assessment.

Lidcombe Program

A behavioral, parent-delivered treatment for preschool stuttering that uses praise for fluent speech and gentle correction of stuttering, delivered in weekly clinic sessions.

Spasmodic dysphonia

A focal dystonia of the larynx; adductor type causes strained voice breaks on vowels, abductor type causes breathy breaks on voiceless consonants; treated with botulinum toxin.

Penetration-Aspiration Scale

An 8-point scale rating depth of airway invasion and clearance during swallowing; scores 6-8 indicate aspiration without effective clearing.

IDDSI framework

An international standardized system classifying liquids (levels 0-4) and foods (levels 3-7) by thickness and texture to guide safe dysphagia diets.

VFSS gold standard

Videofluoroscopic swallow study uses fluoroscopy with barium to visualize all swallow phases, identify aspiration, and test compensatory strategies in real time.

Type B tympanogram

A flat tympanogram indicating little or no middle ear mobility, consistent with effusion, perforation, or impacted cerumen; requires otologic referral.

1-3-6 newborn hearing rule

Screening by 1 month, diagnostic evaluation by 3 months, and intervention by 6 months for infants with hearing loss to optimize language outcomes.

Air-bone gap

A difference greater than 10 dB between air-conduction and bone-conduction thresholds, indicating a conductive component to hearing loss.

Aided language stimulation

A partner modeling strategy in which the communication partner uses the AAC system while speaking, providing input in the user's symbol system to build expressive use.

Core vocabulary

High-frequency words used across many contexts (e.g., go, more, want) that form the majority of communication; balanced with context-specific fringe vocabulary in AAC systems.

SETT framework

An AAC assessment model examining Student, Environment, Tasks, and Tools to guide feature matching and device selection rather than choosing a device first.

Standard score cutoff

Standard scores have a mean of 100 and SD of 15; scores at or below 77 (1.5 SD below mean) commonly indicate a language disorder, with confidence intervals considered.

Dynamic assessment

A test-teach-retest approach measuring learning potential and modifiability; useful for distinguishing language difference from disorder in culturally and linguistically diverse children.

Evidence-based practice

Sackett's model integrating best available research evidence, clinician expertise, and client values and preferences; all three components are required for clinical decisions.

SMART goals

Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, with documented baseline and criterion data to allow progress monitoring.

Informed consent

Client or guardian agreement to assessment or treatment after receiving information about purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and alternatives; required before services begin.

Kuwait MOH licensure

Practice as a speech-language therapist in Kuwait requires a Ministry of Health license; foreign-trained applicants typically need credential verification and may need equivalency review.

Scope of practice

The range of services an SLP is trained and licensed to provide, including speech, language, voice, fluency, swallowing, and related disorders; practice outside it requires referral.

Posterior cricoarytenoid

The only intrinsic laryngeal muscle that abducts the vocal folds; its paralysis causes airway compromise and a breathy voice.

Corticobulbar tract

Upper motor neuron pathway from cortex to cranial nerve nuclei; lesions produce spastic dysarthria with strained-strangled voice and slow, effortful articulation.

Velopharyngeal port

The opening between the nasal and oral cavities closed by the soft palate and pharyngeal walls during oral sounds; failure causes hypernasality and nasal emission.

Broca's area

Posterior inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere; damage produces nonfluent, agrammatic speech with relatively preserved comprehension and impaired repetition.

Silent aspiration

Entry of material below the vocal folds without a cough or outward sign; common in neurologically impaired patients and detectable only by instrumental assessment.