Discusses five major discrepancies in speech and language pathology practices and offers suggestions for reconciling them. Discrepancies include the separation of clinicians and scientists, the definition of language, the role of theory in intervention, the approach as it relates to product for language intervention, and the meaning of best…

Linguistic theory has made important contributions to the clinical assessment and treatment of children with functional phonological disorders. In this article, Optimality Theory (OT) is introduced as a new linguistic model of grammar. Basic assumptions of the model are described and extended to clinical assessment and treatment. The aim is (1) to…

This paper examines the repair skills of three groups of 7 to 11-year old children: 1) children with Pragmatic Language Impairments (the PLI group); 2) children with Specific Language Impairments with no pragmatic difficulties (the SLI group); 3) children with normally developing communication skills (the mainstream group). The data comprise…

Forty-two children (29 boys and 13 girls), ages 3-10 years, were referred from the caseloads of clinical speech-language pathologists for suspected childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). According to results from tests of speech and oral motor skills, 22 children met criteria for CAS, including a severely limited consonant and vowel repertoire,…

This article is based on the author's personal experience of an uncomfortable discussion with a family. Issues are explored around the difficulty in anticipating how a young child with a learning delay will respond to speech-language therapy and how the practitioner will give accurate information. Two key journal articles on giving bad news are…

Presents findings of research on homework and translates these findings into recommended practices for speech-language pathologists. Suggestions for enhancing homework effectiveness are presented, such as explaining why the homework is being assigned and providing regular assignments. An example of a language development homework assignment is…

This statement by a committee of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines the scope of practice in speech-language pathology. It covers purpose, a framework for practice, education and qualifications, scope of practice, professional roles and activities, and practice settings. (Contains references.) (DB)

This article discusses identity as it relates to aphasia and the resulting impact on life participation. The relationships among social identity, language, and social interaction are considered from the sociocultural perspective. Core social identity concepts are identified and used to examine the broad classifications of aphasia intervention.…

Background: Recent research has shown that phonological awareness therapy can improve speech production in children with expressive phonological disorders. This approach may be appealing to clinicians as the therapy may also benefit the children's general phonological abilities and lead to gains in their literacy skills. Aims: To examine the…

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (World Health Organization, 2001) is proposed as a framework for integrative goal setting for children with speech impairment. The ICF incorporates both impairment and social factors to consider when selecting appropriate goals to bring about change in the lives of…

Changes in consonant and syllable-level error patterns of three children diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) were investigated in a 3-year longitudinal study. Spontaneous speech samples were analyzed to assess the accuracy of consonants and syllables. Consonant accuracy was low overall, with most frequent errors on middle- and…

Background: The impact of speech therapists' conceptual frameworks on their clinical methods tends to be ignored or taken for granted by today's practitioners. One way to show the importance of such frameworks is to study how they were used previously. John Thelwall, a 19th-century elocutionist, offers a rich source for studying the influence of…

The definition of dysarthria and its incidence as a symptom in several disabling conditions are addressed. Information is also provided on the effects of dysarthria on daily life activities; the role of the speech-language pathologist; and evidence of the benefits of treatment. A case study is provided. (CR)

This fact sheet on speech and language disorders is presented in English and Spanish. It provides information on the definition of speech and language disorders and possible causes; the incidence (about one in ten people); and characteristics of delayed communication, speech disorders, and language disorders. It notes educational implications,…

Introduces epidemiology as a health science that is essential as a complement to the basic laboratory and clinical sciences in speech-language pathology and audiology. A definition of epidemiology is presented. Principles of epidemiology, including causal criteria, and concepts such as incidence, prevalence, and risk are discussed. (Author/CR)