CHAPTER 10

COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
 It is a problem in communication that
affects an individual's ability to
understand or use language and speech to
engage in discourse effectively with other
people.

What is a communication disorder?

A communication Disorder is an
impairment in the ability to receive, send,
process, and comprehend concepts for
verbal, nonverbal, and graphic symbol
systems.

What is the American Speech Language

Hearing Association (ASHA) Definition of a
Communication Disorder?
It is a problem in an individual’s ability to
generate or utilize oral language to
communicate with other people.
e.g. Stuttering

What is a speech disorder?

This term refers to conflicts a person has in understanding and
expressing language. Language disorders include problems in:
• Phonology: refers to using sounds of a word in the correct
sequence
• Morphology: refers to using grammatical rules in the correct
manner ( like using suffixes, tenses, and prefixes correctly)
• Syntax: refers to organizing sentences in a meaningful order
• Semantics: refers to associating words or sentences to their
correct meaning
• Pragmatics: refers to using language for social aims (e.g. to
greet, inform people about things, demand, command,
request).

What are language disorders?

AAC involves alternative methods of
communication for those who have cannot
produce or understand written or oral language.
e.g. Sign language, gestures, electronic devices to
produce speech

What is the meaning of Augmentative

or alternative communication ?
• 8-9% of preschoolers have speech disorders.
• 5% of students in elementary and secondary
grades have speech disorders.
• 2-3% of preschoolers have language disorders.
• 1% of school students have language disorders.

Prevalence of
Communication Disorder
Communication differences: They include
differences in dialect, regional differences,
language of ethnic minority groups, non dominant
language; effective communicator in own
language community (definition from Quizlet) .
HOWEVER, when a person has a communication
disorder, s/he has problems in communication in
all communities and in any place or region.

Communication Differences Vs. Communication

disorder
 1. Language acquisition is related to brain maturation,
growth, and proper brain functioning.
2. Behavioral psychology ( the study of how individuals
learn or modify behavior )participates in language
acquisition.
3. Learning language is related to correctly processing
information cognitively.
4. Learning a language depends on the linguistic rules of
each nation.
5. Language development is highly related to the cognitive
development of an individual.
6. Social interactions participate in acquiring Language.

Nelson’s Six Theories of Learning Language

There is no known cause for this type of language disorder ; It
includes:
• specific language impairment (SLI) :characterized by the
‘’inability to master spoken and written language expression
and comprehension, despite normal nonverbal intelligence,
hearing acuity, and speech motor skills, and no overt physical
disability, recognized syndrome, or other mitigating medical
factors known to cause language disorders in children’’ (Evans,
Brown, 2016)
• early expressive language delay (EELD)
• language-based reading impairment: problems in
understanding spoken or written language

What is a Primary Language Disorder?

It is a type of a language disorder that
stems from disability such as emotional or
behavioral disorders or Intellectual
disabilities, Autism spectrum disorder, etc.

What is a secondary Language

Disorder?
 It is a type of a speech disorder that often has no known
causes. This disorder:
•Occurs before the age of nine
•Includes the Lack of an understanding of language
rules that are related to producing sounds
•Includes a Poor inner representation of the sounds of
language: lack of a mental exhibition or combination of
sounds of a word
•Might cause a Lack of phonological awareness

What is a phonological Disorder?

 It is a type of a speech disorder that include errors in
producing sounds correctly
Example: say thunshine instead of sunshine
To be diagnosed with this disorder, we must take into
consideration the following:
• A person having this disorder person makes
articulation errors consistently.
• The age of the speaker
• Intelligibility of the person’s speech: measuring to
what extent the speech a person says is understood

What is an articulation disorder?

It is a type of speech disorder that includes problems
in pitch, loudness, and quality of a voice (resonance).
They result from:
• Functional disorders: like damage of the larynx
• Organic disorder: like abnormal growth of larynx
• Neurological disorder: nervous system dysfunction
that leads to production of abnormal speech

What is a voice disorder?

It is a type of speech order that involves
interruptions in speech like stuttering. It’s causes
are not known.
NOTE: Normal Dysfluencies are not a fluency
disorder because they are interruptions in speech
a child has while learning to speak.

What is a fluency
disorder?
It is a type of speech disorder that includes
problems in speaking because of an impairment
in the motor activity of muscles that produce
speech.

What is a motor speech

disorder?
 S/he can do so through:
• Facilitating the social use of language
• Question-asking Strategy that strengthens the
student’s receptive and expressive languages.
• Teaching literacy : teaching students to read and
write , and s/he should work on these skills
effectively till the student masters reading and
writing.

How can a teacher prevent some

communication disorders?
 • What the child talks about and should be taught
to talk about
• How the child talks about things and how the
child could be taught to speak of things clearly
• How the child uses language in communicating
• To what extent the child understands language,
whether oral or written language

What to assess Before Making an Intervention

Program
• Dynamic assessment: assessment of the students
progress that is done throughout the learning
procedure.
• curriculum-based language and communication
assessment: measuring the student’s language,
speech, and communication skills required to be
learnt according to a school curriculum.

Types Of Assessment of Student Progress

 • Early intervention in Delayed Language Development:
A child with delayed language development often uses
gestures to point to what they want (prelinguistic
communication). So, the parents or teachers must use
milieu teaching.
• Getting parents involved with the intervention plans a
speech language pathologist or a teacher puts in order to
further enhance the student’s communication abilities.

Early Intervention For Communication Disorder

The earlier the intervention, the greater the
chance the child will acquire language skills.
So, early intervention, whether it was
implemented by a teacher or an SLP,
participates greatly in improving impaired
communication abilities in children. Thus,
interventions taking place throughout all
academic years allows the student to have
improved communication skills that are
needed in the field of employment.

Transition to Adulthood
Thank You For Listening!