Articulation – How we use the lips, tongue, teeth, jaw and palate to make speech sounds. An articulation disorder means a child has trouble making certain sounds correctly, for example saying "wabbit" for "rabbit." Learn more

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) – A motor speech disorder in which the brain has trouble planning and coordinating the movements needed for speech, even though the muscles themselves aren't weak. Errors are often inconsistent, and speech tends to get harder as words and sentences get longer. Learn more

Dysarthria – Slurred, slow or hard-to-understand speech caused by weakness or poor control of the speech muscles. It can affect children with neurological conditions and adults after a stroke, brain injury or illness such as Parkinson's disease.

Intelligibility – How much of a person's speech a listener can understand, often given as a percentage. By about age 3, a child should be understood by unfamiliar listeners most of the time. See Speech Milestones

Oral-Motor Skills – The strength, coordination and movement of the lips, tongue, cheeks and jaw. These skills support eating, drinking and clear speech.

Phonological Processes – Predictable sound patterns young children use to simplify words, such as "tat" for "cat" (fronting) or "wed" for "red" (gliding). Most go away on their own by age 5. When they last longer than expected, it may be a phonological disorder. Learn more

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) – Any tool that helps a person communicate besides speaking, from sign language and picture boards to tablets and speech-generating devices. AAC supports speech development; it does not keep a child from learning to talk.

Expressive Language – How a person shares thoughts, needs and ideas with words, sentences, gestures, signs or writing. Learn more

Joint Attention – When a child and another person focus on the same object or event together, for example both looking at a ball while the child points to it. It is an important early building block for language and social skills.

Pragmatics (Social Language) – The social rules of communication, such as taking turns, starting and staying on a topic, reading facial expressions and using greetings. Learn more

Pre-Linguistic Skills – The communication skills that come before words, such as eye contact, babbling, imitating sounds and gestures, and pointing. Learn more

Receptive Language – How well a person understands what others say or write, such as following directions or answering questions. Understanding usually develops ahead of talking. Learn more

Speech or Language Delay – A child is developing skills in the usual order but later than most children the same age. A disorder means skills are developing differently, not just later. See Speech Milestones

Audiologist – A licensed hearing specialist who tests hearing and diagnoses hearing loss and auditory processing disorders. Speech-language pathologists often refer children for a hearing test before or during speech therapy.

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) – Hearing is normal, but the brain has trouble making sense of sounds, especially in noisy places or when directions are long or complex. An audiologist diagnoses CAPD, and a speech-language pathologist can treat it. Learn more

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) – A quick, painless hearing screening that plays soft sounds into the ear and measures the faint "echo" a healthy inner ear (cochlea) sends back. A "refer" result can be caused by fluid or wax in the outer or middle ear or by hearing loss, so the next step is a full hearing evaluation by an audiologist.

Stuttering (Fluency Disorder) – Interruptions in the smooth flow of speech, such as repeating sounds or words ("b-b-ball"), stretching out sounds ("sssssun") or getting stuck with no sound coming out (blocks). Learn more

Voice Disorder – A problem with the pitch, loudness or quality of the voice, such as ongoing hoarseness, breathiness or a voice that is too nasal. An ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT) should examine the vocal cords before voice therapy begins. Learn more

Aspiration – When food, liquid or saliva goes into the airway (toward the lungs) instead of the esophagus. It can lead to coughing, chest infections or pneumonia, though sometimes it happens with no cough at all ("silent aspiration").

Clinical (Bedside) Swallow Evaluation – A swallowing assessment in which the speech-language pathologist looks at the mouth and throat muscles and watches the person eat and drink different foods and liquids. It helps decide whether an instrumental exam like FEES or MBSS is needed.

Dysphagia – Difficulty swallowing. It can happen at any age, and in adults it is common after a stroke, head injury, head and neck cancer, or with neurological conditions. Learn more · Adult Speech Therapy

Electrical Stimulation (e.g., AmpCare ESP) – An FDA-cleared treatment in which small pads on the skin deliver a mild current to help the swallowing muscles contract during swallowing exercises. It is used along with therapy, not in place of it.

Feeding Therapy – Therapy for children who have trouble sucking, chewing, moving food in the mouth, drinking from a cup or straw, or accepting new foods and textures. Both our speech and occupational therapists provide it. See Feeding Milestones

FEES (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing) – A swallowing exam in which a thin, flexible camera is passed through the nose to watch the throat while the person eats and drinks. It uses no radiation. Learn more

MBSS (Modified Barium Swallow Study) – An X-ray video of swallowing, done in a radiology department, while the person eats and drinks foods mixed with barium. It is also called a VFSS (videofluoroscopic swallow study). Learn more

Modified Diet – Foods that are softened, minced or pureed, or liquids that are thickened, to make swallowing safer. Your therapist will recommend the right level based on the evaluation.

Oral Reflexes – Automatic mouth movements babies are born with, such as rooting, sucking, tongue thrust and gag. Most fade during the first months as babies learn to eat from a spoon. See Feeding Milestones

Acquired Apraxia of Speech – Trouble planning the mouth movements for speech after a stroke or brain injury in an adult who could speak normally before. The person knows what they want to say but has trouble getting the sounds out in the right order.

Aphasia – Loss of the ability to understand or express language (speaking, listening, reading or writing) after a stroke or brain injury. Intelligence is usually not affected. Learn more

Cognitive-Communication Disorder – Communication problems caused by changes in thinking skills such as attention, memory, problem-solving or organization, often after a stroke, brain injury or with dementia.

Word-Finding Difficulty (Anomia) – Knowing what you want to say but being unable to come up with the word ("It's on the tip of my tongue"). It is one of the most common signs of aphasia.

Evaluation – The first visit, where the therapist uses standardized tests, observation and your input to find strengths and needs and decide whether therapy is recommended. What to Expect

Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation (GFTA) – A standardized test our therapists use to check which speech sounds a child makes correctly compared with other children the same age.

Percentile Rank – Compares a score with other people the same age. The 25th percentile means the person scored as well as or better than 25 out of 100 people their age.

Plan of Care – The written therapy plan, including goals, how often therapy will happen and for how long. It is reviewed and updated as progress is made.

Standard Score – A test score compared with others the same age. On most tests the average is 100, and scores from about 85 to 115 fall in the average range.

ADL – Activities of Daily Living, the everyday self-care tasks such as dressing, bathing and eating. See Occupational Therapy Terms.

ASQ – Ages and Stages Questionnaire, a checklist parents fill out to screen a young child's development.

CCC-SLP – Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, the national certification held by fully certified speech-language pathologists.

COTA – Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, who provides therapy under the supervision of an occupational therapist.

CVA – Cerebrovascular accident, the medical term for a stroke.

ECI – Early Childhood Intervention, Texas's free program for children from birth to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities.

ENT – Ear, nose and throat doctor (otolaryngologist).

OT – Occupational therapy or occupational therapist.

OTR / OTR/L – Registered occupational therapist, licensed (L) to practice.

PT – Physical therapy or physical therapist.

SLP – Speech-language pathologist (speech therapist).

SLPA – Speech-language pathology assistant, who provides therapy under the supervision of a speech-language pathologist.

WCC – Well Child Check-Up, a routine visit with your child's doctor.

WNL – Within normal limits; the skill or result is in the typical range.