SLP Speech & Language Development Disorders 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A parent reports their 3-year-old understands everything said to them but rarely speaks. The SLP's first priority is to:
- Diagnose selective mutism immediately
- Evaluate both receptive and expressive language to determine the nature of the disorder (Correct answer)
- Recommend augmentative and alternative communication without further evaluation
- Reassure the parent that late talkers always catch up
Correct answer: Evaluate both receptive and expressive language to determine the nature of the disorder
A comprehensive evaluation of both receptive and expressive language is needed to characterize the disorder and guide diagnosis and intervention.
Question 2: Which phonological process involves replacing a velar sound with an alveolar sound, such as 'dat' for 'cat'?
- Backing
- Fronting (Correct answer)
- Stopping
- Assimilation
Correct answer: Fronting
Fronting is the substitution of an alveolar consonant for a velar consonant (e.g., /t/ or /d/ for /k/ or /g/).
Question 3: According to IDEA, a child is eligible for early intervention speech-language services under Part C if they:
- Are between 3 and 21 years old
- Have a documented diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder only
- Have a developmental delay or established condition, and are under age 3 (Correct answer)
- Show deficits only in phonological awareness
Correct answer: Have a developmental delay or established condition, and are under age 3
IDEA Part C covers infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) with developmental delays or established conditions that place them at risk.
Question 4: A child with Williams syndrome is most likely to demonstrate:
- Hyperlexia with poor comprehension
- Strong phonological skills but very limited vocabulary
- Relatively strong verbal ability with significant visuospatial deficits (Correct answer)
- Non-verbal communication superior to verbal communication
Correct answer: Relatively strong verbal ability with significant visuospatial deficits
Williams syndrome is associated with relatively strong verbal and social communication alongside marked deficits in visuospatial processing.
Question 5: A 5-year-old child demonstrates difficulty with phoneme segmentation and rhyme recognition. The SLP should be concerned about risk for:
- Childhood apraxia of speech
- Stuttering
- Reading disability (dyslexia) (Correct answer)
- Selective mutism
Correct answer: Reading disability (dyslexia)
Phonological awareness deficits in preschool and kindergarten are among the strongest predictors of later reading disability.
Question 6: The term 'specific language impairment (SLI)' has largely been replaced in current literature and clinical practice by:
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Developmental language disorder (DLD) (Correct answer)
- Language learning disability (LLD)
- Primary language impairment (PLI)
Correct answer: Developmental language disorder (DLD)
The term developmental language disorder (DLD) was recommended by the CATALISE consortium to replace SLI for greater clinical utility and reduced stigma.
Question 7: Which characteristic differentiates childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) from a phonological disorder?
- Inconsistent errors on the same word across productions (Correct answer)
- Consistent substitution errors that follow predictable phonological patterns
- Errors limited to fricatives and affricates
- Errors that resolve without intervention by age 7
Correct answer: Inconsistent errors on the same word across productions
A hallmark feature of CAS is inconsistent errors across repeated productions of the same word, distinguishing it from phonological disorders with consistent error patterns.
SLP Speech & Language Development Disorders 3
A parent reports their 3-year-old understands everything said to them but rarely speaks.
The SLP's first priority is to: