Typical and Disordered Communication

Overview• What is communication?• Components of communication

– Language• Form• Content• Use

– Speech• Voice• Articulation• Fluency/Stuttering

– Hearing• Acuity• Central Auditory Processing

• Classification of Communication Disorders• Video- Understanding Speech vs. Language

Your Communication in the Past 24 Hours

cont’d

• Communication Allows us to:– express needs & wants– Exchange information– Establish social closeness– fulfill social etiquette requirements

cont’d

• Communication can be:– verbal– non-verbal

• Variables that affect communication & its success or failure:– cultural identity– setting– participants

Components of Communication

Language

• A socially shared system of arbitrary symbols used for communication

• Has rules for combining the symbols into meaningful units

• Generative• Dynamic• Can be oral, written, or signed

Speech

• The physical production of spoken language

Hearing

• The process of perceiving sound

Personal Experiences

• Discuss with a couple of your neighbors any experiences you have had with individuals with communication disorders (e.g., family member, friend, client). – Did these individuals have difficulties

related to speech, language, and/or hearing?

Components of Communication

Language – Form

• The physical (visual and auditory) structure of language– What it sounds like and looks like

Language - Form• Phonology

– “The structure of sounds”– Individual sounds that make up words

• Morphology – “The structure of words”– The study of word structures/pieces of words– A collection of rules for combining “pieces” to form

words• Syntax

– “The structure of sentences”– A collection of rules for combining words into

phrases and sentences (word order; sentence structure)

Language – Form

• If difficulties with phonology, morphology, and/or syntax difficulties with the form of language

• Remember: the form of language has to do with structure

Language - Content

• The meaning of language

Language - Content

• Semantics– The study of the meaning in language– Vocabulary is a part of semantics

Language – Content

• If difficulties with vocabulary and the meaning of words difficulties with the content of language

Language - Use

• The purpose of language; why we are communicating in the first place– That is, we don’t communicate in order to make

sounds (phonology), to put appropriate prefixes or suffixes on words (morphology), to put words in a particular order (syntax), or to use certain vocabulary (semantics)

– There is a broader purpose to communication. This is what pragmatics is all about

Language - Use• Pragmatics

– The study of rules that govern language use in social situations (spoken and written)• Examples:

– knowing when to take a turn in a conversation

– Maintaining a topic– Rules for making eye contact– Asking partners questions about themselves

(and not just talking about yourself)– these are all a part of pragmatics

• Discuss the phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of these sentences with a few classmates:Dad: Where are your new shoes?Child: Me no have shoe.Dad: Yes, you do. Where are they?Child: Me go pay (for “play”).

Components of Communication

Speech

• Voice– The sound source for speech– Produced in the larynx, a structure in the

neck• Articulation

– The movement of the speech mechanism to produce the sounds of speech

Speech

• Fluency– Easy, smooth, flowing, and effortless

speech

Components of Communication

Hearing

• Acuity– Ability to perceive sound

• Central Auditory Processing Disorder– Normal hearing acuity– Difficulty understanding speech

Classification of Communication Disorders

• Etiology – cause of the problem– Organic: Neurological or physiological

cause– Functional: Do not have a known organic

cause• Progression of the disorder

– Progressive/Degenerative: Deteriorates over time

– Non-progressive: does not deteriorate over time

Classification of Communication Disorders

• Age of Onset: – Congenital/Development: Occurs before,

during, or shortly after the time of birth– Acquired: Occurs after a period of normal

communication

Review• What is communication?• Components of communication

– Language• Content• Form• Use

– Speech• Voice• Articulation• Fluency/Stuttering

– Hearing• Acuity• Central Auditory Processing

• Classification of Communication Disorders