Speech and Language Therapy Course

Lesson 1 • Language Development Across the Lifespan

Traces typical phonological, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic development from infancy through adulthood. Establishes developmental norms used in clinical assessment.

Lesson 2 • Introduction to Communication Disorders

Surveys major disorder categories including articulation, fluency, voice, and language disorders. Prepares students to classify disorders encountered in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Physiology of Normal Speech Production

Explains how breathing, voicing, resonance, and articulation integrate to produce speech. Links anatomy to functional communication processes.

Lesson 4 • Anatomy of the Speech Mechanism

Covers respiratory, phonatory, resonatory, and articulatory structures. Provides the anatomical foundation required for understanding speech disorders.

Lesson 1 • Standardised Assessment Administration

Covers protocols for administering norm-referenced speech and language tests accurately. Standardised procedures ensure valid score interpretation and comparability.

Lesson 2 • Diagnostic Report Writing

Guides students through structuring, writing, and editing professional diagnostic reports. Clear reports communicate findings to families, educators, and medical teams.

Lesson 3 • Informal and Dynamic Assessment

Presents language sampling, observation, and mediated learning probes as informal tools. These methods capture abilities not reflected in standardised scores.

Lesson 4 • Case History and Interview Techniques

Teaches structured case history collection and motivational interviewing strategies. Accurate histories guide hypothesis formation and assessment selection.

Lesson 1 • Traditional Articulation Therapy

Teaches the sensorimotor approach for establishing, stabilising, and generalising target sounds. Foundational techniques apply across ages and disorder types.

Lesson 2 • Phonetics and Phonological Theory

Reviews consonant and vowel classification, phonological processes, and distinctive features. This theoretical base informs error analysis and target selection.

Lesson 3 • Assessment of Speech Sound Disorders

Covers single-word tests, connected speech sampling, and stimulability probing. Comprehensive assessment data drive accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

Lesson 4 • Phonological Intervention Approaches

Presents minimal pairs, cycles, and complexity approaches for systemic phonological change. Pattern-based methods are more efficient for children with multiple error patterns.

Lesson 1 • Language Assessment in Children

Applies standardised tests, language samples, and curriculum-based measures to child populations. Multi-measure assessment reduces diagnostic error and informs goal writing.

Lesson 2 • Early Language Intervention

Covers naturalistic, milieu, and parent-implemented strategies for toddlers and preschoolers. Early intervention maximises developmental trajectories and family involvement.

Lesson 3 • Adolescent Language and Literacy

Targets abstract language, inferencing, and text-level literacy in secondary students. Adolescent intervention requires curriculum alignment and self-advocacy skill building.

Lesson 4 • School-Age Language Intervention

Addresses vocabulary, narrative, syntax, and discourse goals for school-age children. Language skills directly support reading, writing, and academic achievement.

Lesson 1 • Psychosocial and Acceptance-Based Approaches

Integrates acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive restructuring, and support groups into fluency treatment. Addressing avoidance and stigma improves long-term quality of life.

Lesson 2 • Stammering Modification Therapy

Presents identification, desensitisation, modification, and stabilisation stages of Van Riper's approach. Modification therapy targets the moment of stammering rather than eliminating it.

Lesson 3 • Fluency Assessment Procedures

Covers percent syllables stammered, stammering severity instruments, and attitude measures. Comprehensive fluency assessment captures both behavioural and affective dimensions.

Lesson 4 • Nature and Aetiology of Fluency Disorders

Explains the neurological, genetic, and psychosocial factors underlying stammering and cluttering. Understanding aetiology prevents misattribution and guides treatment framing.

Lesson 1 • Voice Disorders Classification and Aetiology

Categorises voice disorders by aetiology including vocal hyperfunction, structural lesions, and neurogenic causes. Classification guides referral decisions and treatment approach selection.

Lesson 2 • Neurogenic and Special Population Voice

Addresses voice treatment for Parkinson's disease, spasmodic dysphonia, and transgender clients. Specialised populations require adapted protocols and interdisciplinary coordination.

Lesson 3 • Behavioural Voice Therapy Techniques

Presents resonant voice therapy, vocal function exercises, and confidential voice as core behavioural methods. Behavioural techniques address hyperfunctional patterns without surgical intervention.

Lesson 4 • Perceptual and Acoustic Voice Assessment

Covers GRBAS and CAPE-V perceptual scales, acoustic measures, and aerodynamic testing. Multi-dimensional assessment provides a complete picture of vocal function.

Lesson 1 • Instrumental Swallowing Assessment

Presents videofluoroscopic swallowing study and fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing protocols. Instrumental studies identify aspiration, residue, and biomechanical impairments.

Lesson 2 • Anatomy and Physiology of Swallowing

Reviews the oral, pharyngeal, and oesophageal phases of normal swallowing and their neural control. This foundation is prerequisite to understanding swallowing pathophysiology.

Lesson 3 • Clinical Swallowing Evaluation

Covers bedside evaluation components including oral mechanism exam, trial swallows, and aspiration risk screening. Bedside findings determine the need for instrumental assessment.

Lesson 4 • Dysphagia in Special Populations

Addresses dysphagia management in paediatric, neurogenic, head and neck cancer, and ICU populations. Each population presents unique physiological and ethical management challenges.

Lesson 1 • Dementia and Progressive Disorders

Covers communication profiles in Alzheimer's disease, primary progressive aphasia, and Parkinson's disease. Intervention focuses on maintaining function and supporting caregivers.

Lesson 2 • Aphasia Treatment Approaches

Presents impairment-based, functional, and social participation approaches to aphasia treatment. Treatment selection depends on severity, stage of recovery, and client goals.

Lesson 3 • Aphasia: Classification and Assessment

Covers aphasia syndromes, lesion correlates, and standardised and functional assessment tools. Accurate classification informs prognosis and treatment goal selection.

Lesson 4 • Cognitive-Communication Disorders

Addresses attention, memory, executive function, and social communication deficits following TBI and right hemisphere damage. Cognitive-communication goals target functional independence.