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Glossary of Therapy Terms

A

Aphasia: Communication disorder characterized by complete or partial impairment of language comprehension, formulation and use. It can be the result of stroke, brain tumors, traumatic brain injury or gunshot wounds.
Aphonia: Complete loss of voice.
Apraxia of Speech: Motor disorder that impairs the sequencing of speech sounds. Errors are unpredictable, and "groping" for the right sounds / words may be observed. Acquired apraxia may result from stroke, head injury, brain tumor, toxins or infections. Developmental apraxia is present at birth. Speech may be delayed and feeding problems are sometimes present.
Articulation Disorder: Mispronunciation of speech sounds characterized by sound omissions, substitutions, distortions and additions.
Assistive Technology: Any item, piece of equipment, or system that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. These can be purchased commercially, modified or customized, based on need.
Auditory Processing Disorder: Refers to the brain's recognition and interpretation of speech and non-speech sounds and affects the processing or interpretation of information. Children may show difficulty with attention, following directions, listening, academic performance, behavior, syntax, vocabulary, reading, writing and spelling. The cause is often unknown, however, it may be associated with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, autism, specific language impairment or developmental delay.
Augmentative Communication: Supplementation or replacement of speech through the use of aided or unaided techniques. Unaided communication can include sign language, gestures and fingerspelling. Aided communication can include computer-based systems that support verbal and written communication.
Autism: Developmental disability characterized by significant differences in the areas of social competence and communication skills. Individuals typically demonstrate a narrow range of interests, repeatedly engage in specific activities and experience difficulties in processing sensory input from the surrounding environment. Common behaviors include a tendency to avoid social contact, become upset by changes in routine, and inability to communicate effectively.

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C

Cleft Palate: Opening in the roof of the mouth due to failure of the palate bone to unite.
Communication: Process of passing information from one person to another. People communicate both verbally, through words, and non-verbally, through facial expressions and body movements.
Communication Development: Process of growth in which a child acquires and masters the skills necessary to pass information to and receive information from others.
Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT): Increasingly popular method of working with children with hemiplegia to improve the use of their affected arm. CIMT limits the use of the better functioning arm and provides intensive practice using the affected arm.

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D

Dysarthria: Imprecise, slow and distorted speech resulting from paralysis, weakness, spasticity or incoordination of speech muscles. Causes may include cerebral palsy, low tone, stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis.
Dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing. Signs and symptoms may include inability to control food or saliva in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, coughing / choking on food, episodes of pneumonia, unexplained weight loss, wet voice quality after swallowing and nasal regurgitation. Causes may include cerebral palsy, low tone, stroke, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Bell's palsy, head and neck cancers and injuries to head, neck and chest.
Dyspraxia of Speech: Partial loss of the ability to pronounce words consistently.

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E

Echolalia: Constant repeating or parroting of what has been said by others. Individuals with autism or Tourette syndrome commonly exhibit echolalia.
Expressive Language Delay: Difficulty with verbal expression. Symptoms can include word finding difficulties (anomia), misnaming items (dysnomia), deficits in syntax (word order), semantics (word meaning) and morphology (changes in verb tense), problems in retelling a story or relaying information and inability to start or hold a conversation. An expressive disorder may be delayed (pattern of development is slow, but normal) or disordered (language is slow to develop and sequence of development and pattern of errors is atypical).

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H

Hoarseness: Abnormally rough or harsh-sounding voice caused by vocal abuse or other disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux or thyroid problems.

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I

Interactive Metronome (IM): Computer-based program that uses feedback from switches to help individuals improve attention, timing, coordination and rhythm. The program includes different exercises and movements to perform while trying to stay on a computer-generated beat.

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M

Myofascial Release (MFR): Manual therapy technique developed for treatment of the whole body. It focuses on the fascial system or connective tissue. When tissue becomes tight due to trauma, poor posture or illness it can lead to pain and problems with movement and function. MFR uses gentle force in an area of the body to lengthen tight tissues and muscles.

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N

Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT): Therapeutic approach used in the treatment of individuals with movement dysfunction resulting from central nervous system injuries. Normal and abnormal movements are assessed in relation to functional abilities and limitations. Intervention involves direct handling including facilitation and inhibition techniques to improve the quality of movement and function.
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES): Use of electricity to stimulate a muscle or muscle group to cause it to contract. It can be used for strengthening, muscle re-education, improving range of motion, controlling swelling, spasticity management and gait training.

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O

Oral Motor Difficulties: Problems with chewing, sucking, blowing or making specific speech sounds. Signs and symptoms may include low muscle tone in the face, open mouth posture, drooling, oral sensitivity, unclear speech sounds and feeding difficulties.

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P

Parroting: Type of communication that involves repeating back to the sender almost the identical message that has been received. Some children with autism parrot phrases heard from earlier conversations or television programs.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder: Characterized by severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development including reciprocal social interaction skills, communication skills, or the presence of stereotypical behavior, interests and activities.
Phonological Dealy: Phonology is the science of speech sounds and patterns. A phonological delay occurs when children have not learned the rules for combining sounds in words and create their own. This affects classes of sounds rather than individual sounds. For example, a child may voice all voiceless consonants such as p, t, and k, and pronounce them as b, d and g. Phonological disorders may significantly reduce speech intelligibility and can place children at risk for future reading and learning disabilities.

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R

Receptive Language Delay: Difficulty understanding language. Symptoms can include difficulty following directions, decreased comprehension, limited vocabulary, poor understanding and difficulty attending to spoken language.
Rehabilitation: Process of restoration of skills in order to regain maximum independence in an individual who has an illness, disability or injury.

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S

Selective Mutism

Persistent failure to speak in specific social situations, such as in school or with playmates. The disturbance must last for at least one month and is not limited to the first month of school, during which many children may be shy and reluctant to speak.

Sensory Integration / Sensory Processing Disorder

Ability to take in information through the senses (touch, sight, sound, movement, body awareness), put it together with previous experiences and make a meaningful response. Having poor sensory integration can affect learning and behavior. Some possible signs of sensory processing disorders include oversensitivity to touch, movement, sight or sound, distractibility, an unusually high or low activity level, impulsivity and difficulty making transitions.

Serial Casting

Treatment that uses casts to stretch soft tissue such as muscles. This is done by applying a series of casts to gradually improve range of motion.

Sign Language

Method of communicating using hand gestures. Individuals with a hearing loss often use this form of language.

Spasmodic Dysphonia

Momentary disruption of voice caused by involuntary movements of one or more muscles of the larynx or voice box.

Stuttering

Speech disorder marked by disruptions in the normal flow of speech. These disruptions, also called disfluencies, often include repetition or prolongation of sounds, syllables or words. Stuttering may be accompanied by eye blinks, tremors of the lips or jaw and tension in the head, neck and shoulder. Stuttering generally begins in childhood, and its exact cause remains unknown.

Someone growing up with a stutter may experience discrimination, rejection, failure and ridicule. These factors can erode confidence and self-esteem and be a source of embarrassment, distress and frustration. Because of this, people who stutter often avoid speaking situations.

While most children outgrow their stuttering, there are a number of risk factors that indicate a child may not recover without speech therapy:

Family history of stuttering
Child is unable to get words out or stretches out sound in words
Child frequently repeats whole word or parts of words
Speech begins to increase in volume and pitch during stuttering moments
Child has other speech / language delays
Child displays frustration when stuttering
Child avoids speaking situations
Stuttering persists beyond 6 months and increases in severity

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T

Tongue Thrust: Orofacial muscular inbalance in which the tongue pushes against the teeth while swallowing or at rest. Also known as "reverse" swallow, it may result in misalignment of teeth and distorted speech sounds.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS): Therapy that uses electrical current for pain relief. A TENS machine is a small battery powered unit that is connected to electrodes. The electrodes are often placed on the area of pain or at a pressure point.

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V

Voice Disorder: Any deviation in pitch, intensity, resonance or quality that renders a person's voice "abnormal" to the listener. A voice disorder may be secondary to a number of underlying causes including overuse, neurologic disorders, trauma, surgery, cancer, psychological difficulties, or viral and bacterial conditions.

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