Speech Therapy Glossary of Terms

Below you will find a glossary of terms you may come across in speech and language therapy.  They are in alphabetical order so you can scroll down to the term you are looking for.

Agnosia-The inability to recognise an object by touch alone or with both hands
Aphasia (or dysphasia) – when a person’s ability to use or understand language is affected. Usually caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury or diseases of the brain.
Aphonia – A complete loss of voice. 
Apraxia – Where normal muscle function exists but a task can not be done upon request.
Articulation Disorder -  an inability to correctly produce speech sounds (phonemes) because of problems with the articulators (lips, teeth, tongue, jaw, soft palate.)  This can be due to problems such as cleft palate, orthodontic issues or muscle weakness such as dysarthria.
Ataxia- Loss of the control of muscle function, leading to a staggering walk and difficulty performing delicate tasks with the hands. 
Alternative/Augmentative Communication – tools that are a substitute or supplement to individuals with absent or limited speech.  These include communication boards with photos or symbols or electronic devices.
 Autism – a disorder that presents in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood;  it affects three critical areas of development: communication (difficulties with speech and language skills), social interaction (poor social skills), and creative or imaginative play (rigid thought and resistance to change.) 
Backing-  When sounds that should be made at the front of the mouth (such as ‘t’) are made at the back instead.  An example would be saying ‘key’ for ‘tea.’
Bilateral hearing loss – a loss of hearing in both ears.
Cluster Reduction-  When words with two consonants at the beginning of a word are reduced to just one e.g. ’stand’-’sand’.
Cochlear Implant – A medical device that allows some people with hearing loss to hear sounds, including speech.  This is done by bypassing damaged structures in the inner ear and directly stimulating the auditory nerve.
Conductive Hearing Impairment – hearing loss caused by dysfunction of the outer or middle ear.Cued Speech – method of communication that combines speech reading with a system of handshapes placed near the mouth to help deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals differentiate words that look similar on the lips (e.g., bunch vs. punch) or are hidden (e.g., gag).
Dysgraphia- Difficulty writing
Dysarthria – where facial muscle weakness affects speech production, leaving it sounding slurred, flat, nasal or jerky in rhythm.  This occurs as a result of brain or nerve damage. 
Dysfluency (or Stammering) -  Where the smooth flow of speech is interrupted.  This may occur by repetition of whole words, repetition of a single sound, prolonging of sounds or blocking where the mouth is open but no sound comes out.  Facial tension may be present and occasionally extra body movements may occur.  There may also be changes in breathing patterns such as holding the breath or taking an exaggerated breath before speaking.
Dysphagia – difficulty swallowing.Dysphonia – an impairment of the voice such as having a hoarse voice.
Dyspraxia of Speech – an inability to control and coordinate the movements needed to make speech sounds despite normal muscle functioning.  The ability to say words or speech sounds is inconsistent.
Dystonia – abnormal muscle tone.
Fronting-  When sounds that should be made at the back of the mouth are made at the front eg. ‘tea’ instead of ‘key’ and saying ‘tar’ instead of ‘car.’
Haemorrhage- The escape of blood from a ruptured blood vessel, externally or internally
Hemianopia- Loss of one-half of the normal field of vision.
Hemiparesis- Weakness of one-half of the body.
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome – A rare form of childhood epilepsy resulting in severe problems understanding and using language.
Laryngectomy – where the larynx is removed resulting in a loss of voice.  AAC may be required or specialist speech and language intervention.
Phonological Difficulties- difficulty selecting and using the correct sounds necessary for speech.  These can be characterised depending on where or how the sound is made.  See backing, fronting, stopping, consonant harmony and cluster reduction for more information.
Stopping- When long sounds come out as short ones e.g. ’sand’ comes out as ‘dand’ or ’socks’ come out as ‘docks.’
Stroke (or Cerebrovascular Accident, CVA) – caused when there is either a lack of blood to the brain or bleeding in the brain.  This results in difficulty using and understanding language and muscle weakness.
Vocal Cord Paralysis – where either one or both vocal cords become paralysed resulting in voice problems. This is due to problems with the nerve.
Vocal Nodules- caused by vocal misuse or abuse.  A nodule is a callous like growth that is noncancerous and grows on the inner part of the vocal cords.