What Does This Mean?

Throughout your journey with a child that has a speech or language delay, you will hear and see many different words that you may not have ever heard of before. Here is a list of the most important words and definitions to help you on your journey:

Phonemic Awareness: The ability to identify and and manipulate sounds within a word.

Phonemes: Individual sounds within a word.

Voice: The sound we make as air from our lungs push through our vocal cords.

Speech: Is (simply) talking. But it is also how we coordinate muscle actions of our tongue, lips, jaw and vocal tract to produce the sounds that make up language.

Language: Shared rules that help us express our thoughts in a meaningful way. Language can be spoken or written.

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP): A highly trained individual who works with people of all ages with their speech, language, development, voice, fluency and feeding and swallowing.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP): Depending on your child's age and if they are in school yet, they may get evaluated and be approved for an IEP. An IEP helps parents, educators, and students work together to achieve the student's individualized educational goals.

504 Plan: Some students may not need a full IEP, but they may need a 504 Plan due to their disabilities. A 504 plan can be put in place by the school to help students with disabilities access their education with modifications if needed.

Developmental Disability: A group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language or behavior areas. These conditions start during the development stage and may last throughout a persons lifetime.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, November 12). Facts About Developmental Disabilities. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/developmentaldisabilities/facts.html#:~:text=Developmental%20disabilities%20are%20a%20group,1.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021, June 10). Speech and Language Developmental Milestones. National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language.