Childhood Disorders: Communication Disorders

2006 ◽  
pp. 300-307
2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2013-2023 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Andrews ◽  
D. S. Pine ◽  
M. J. Hobbs ◽  
T. M. Anderson ◽  
M. Sunderland

BackgroundDSM-IV and ICD-10 are atheoretical and largely descriptive. Although this achieves good reliability, the validity of diagnoses can be increased by an understanding of risk factors and other clinical features. In an effort to group mental disorders on this basis, five clusters have been proposed. We now consider the second cluster, namely neurodevelopmental disorders.MethodWe reviewed the literature in relation to 11 validating criteria proposed by a DSM-V Task Force Study Group.ResultsThis cluster reflects disorders of neurodevelopment rather than a ‘childhood’ disorders cluster. It comprises disorders subcategorized in DSM-IV and ICD-10 as Mental Retardation; Learning, Motor, and Communication Disorders; and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Although these disorders seem to be heterogeneous, they share similarities on some risk and clinical factors. There is evidence of a neurodevelopmental genetic phenotype, the disorders have an early emerging and continuing course, and all have salient cognitive symptoms. Within-cluster co-morbidity also supports grouping these disorders together. Other childhood disorders currently listed in DSM-IV share similarities with the Externalizing and Emotional clusters. These include Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Separation Anxiety Disorder. The Tic, Eating/Feeding and Elimination disorders, and Selective Mutisms were allocated to the ‘Not Yet Assigned’ group.ConclusionNeurodevelopmental disorders meet some of the salient criteria proposed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to suggest a classification cluster.


1980 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Marie Silverman ◽  
Katherine Van Opens

Kindergarten through sixth grade classroom teachers in four school districts completed questionnaires designed to determine whether they would be more likely to refer a boy than a girl with an identical communication disorder. The teachers were found to be equally likely to refer a girl as a boy who presented a disorder of articulation, language, or voice, but they were more likely to refer a boy for speech-language remediation who presented the disorder of stuttering. The tendency for the teachers to allow the sex of a child to influence their likelihood of referral for stuttering remediation, to overlook a sizeable percentage of children with chronic voice disorders, and to be somewhat inaccurate generally in their referrals suggests that teacher referrals are best used as an adjunct to screening rather than as a primary procedure to locate children with communication disorders.


1984 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Fitch ◽  
Linda Allen Davis ◽  
W. Bryce Evans ◽  
Daniel E. Sellers

Fifty children were administered a screening test for communication disorders under two conditions. Under one condition graduate clinicians administered the test in the traditional pencil and paper format. Under the second condition nonprofessionals administered a computer-managed version of the same test. It was found that the computer-managed screening test yielded satisfactory agreement for the language sections. The results of the articulation section of the screening test were ambiguous.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 991-1016
Author(s):  
Shameka Stanford ◽  
Ovetta Harris

Purpose In 2011, the United Nations estimated there were between 180 and 220 million youth with disabilities living around the world, and 80% of them resided in developing countries. Over the last 6 years, this number has increased significantly, and now, over 1 million people live in the Caribbean with some form of disability such as communication disorders resulting in complex communication needs (CCN). Method This publication discusses the benefits of an exploratory, descriptive, nonexperimental study on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) classroom integration training for 8 special educators in the Bahamas who work with children with CCN. Results The results of this study revealed that 100% of the participants reported the study to be effective in increasing their knowledge and skill in the area of implementing AAC into their classrooms, enhancing their ability to team teach and incorporate AAC opportunities for all students with CCN within their classrooms, and increasing their knowledge and skill overall in the areas of AAC and CCN. Conclusion The findings highlight an important area of potential professional development and training that can be replicated in other English-speaking Caribbean territories focused on AAC classroom integration training program for special educators who teach students with CCN.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 841-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney T. Byrd ◽  
Danielle Werle ◽  
Kenneth O. St. Louis

Purpose Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) anecdotally report concern that their interactions with a child who stutters, including even the use of the term “stuttering,” might contribute to negative affective, behavioral, and cognitive consequences. This study investigated SLPs' comfort in providing a diagnosis of “stuttering” to children's parents/caregivers, as compared to other commonly diagnosed developmental communication disorders. Method One hundred forty-one school-based SLPs participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two vignettes detailing an evaluation feedback session. Then, participants rated their level of comfort disclosing diagnostic terms to parents/caregivers. Participants provided rationale for their ratings and answered various questions regarding academic and clinical experiences to identify factors that may have influenced ratings. Results SLPs were significantly less likely to feel comfortable using the term “stuttering” compared to other communication disorders. Thematic responses revealed increased experience with a specific speech-language population was related to higher comfort levels with using its diagnostic term. Additionally, knowing a person who stutters predicted greater comfort levels as compared to other clinical and academic experiences. Conclusions SLPs were significantly less comfortable relaying the diagnosis “stuttering” to families compared to other speech-language diagnoses. Given the potential deleterious effects of avoidance of this term for both parents and children who stutter, future research should explore whether increased exposure to persons who stutter of all ages systematically improves comfort level with the use of this term.


Author(s):  
Kristen Izaryk ◽  
Robin Edge ◽  
Dawn Lechwar

Purpose The purpose of this article is to explore and describe the approaches and specific assessment tools that speech-language pathologists are currently using to assess social communication disorders (SCDs) in children, in relation to current best practices. Method Ninety-four speech-language pathologists completed an online survey asking them to identify which of the following approaches they use to assess children with SCD: parent/teacher report, naturalistic observation, formal assessment, language sample analysis, interviews, semistructured tasks, and peer/self-report. Participants were also asked to identify specific assessment tools they use within each approach. Results Participants most commonly assess SCDs by combining interviews, naturalistic observation, language sampling, parent/teacher report, and formal assessment. Semistructured tasks and peer/self-report tools were less frequently utilized. Several established parent/teacher report and formal assessment tools were commonly identified for assessing SCDs. Most participants use an informal approach for interviews, language sampling, and naturalistic observations in their SCD assessment process. Conclusions Generally, participants follow best practices for assessing SCDs by combining several different approaches. Some considerations for future assessment are identified, including the use of established protocols in the place of informal approaches in order to make the assessment of SCDs more systematic. Future directions for research are discussed.


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