SLHS 1150: Language Disorders in
Children Test 1 Questions with
Accurate Answers 2026-2027 Updated.
Language Disorder - Answer > Impaired comprehension and/or use of spoken, written,
and/or other symbol systems.
> Can represent a deficit in receptive language, expressive language, or a combined expressive-
receptive deficit.
- Receptive language refers to an individual's ability to understand and process language;
expressive language refers to an individual's ability to express and communicate meaning with
language.
- Typically, an individual's receptive language abilities are better than his or her expressive
language abilities.
> If bilingual, have problems in both languages
Language Delay - Answer > Sometimes a young child (2 to 3 years old) who exhibits a
developmental lag in language is said to have a language delay, be a late talker, or have late
language emergence.
> This terminology is used because experts state that a language disorder cannot be reliably
diagnosed in young children in the absence of a primary disorder (e.g., intellectual disability,
autism)
Language Difference - Answer > Language difference results from a variation of a symbol
system used by a group of individuals that reflects and is determined by shared regional, social,
or cultural/ethnic factors.
> It is essential that professionals distinguish between aspects of language production
representing dialectal patterns (i.e., language difference) and true disorders in speech and
language.
> Do they need help learning language?
Descriptive Developmental Approach - Answer > Much of what you will learn about language
disorders applies across disability categories.
,> Rather than focusing on a child's diagnostic category (e.g., autism, specific learning disability),
skilled practitioners use a descriptive-developmental framework to guide intervention.
> A descriptive-developmental approach focuses on a student's language development and
function in a variety of natural contexts.
- Looks at broad differences between individuals and approaches the situation based on the
person
> A practitioner who uses a descriptive-developmental approach works to understand an
individual's communication strengths and limitations rather than focusing on his or her
diagnostic label.
> 2 ways of looking at language disorders: categorical and descriptive
- Categorical= you have this disorder b/c of this syndrome (ex: autism, down's syn); categorical
models may not work b/c many extremes (cerebral palsy has many extremes); have to meet
criteria; doesn't work for language disorders (SLI)
Categorical Vs. Descriptive: Advantages - Answer > The categorical model organizes language
disorders on the basis of an individual's syndromes of behavior; it is fundamentally a medical
model.
> Its advantages are that it (a) is easily understandable, (b) often is necessary in qualifying a
child for educational services, and (c) provides a basic explanation of how a particular child may
be different from other children.
Categorical Vs. Descriptive: Limitations - Answer > The limitations of the categorical model
are the following:
- There is not always a cause-effect relationship between an individual's diagnosis and his or her
language impairment. Does a hearing loss mean that a child will automatically have a language
delay?
- Children with different diagnostic labels may be quite similar. A child with a pragmatic disorder
may be classified as having autism, intellectual disability, or specific language impairment.
- Children's degree of impairment may vary dramatically within a diagnostic category. For
example, a child with autism may be very mildly impaired; the diagnostic label may unfairly
prejudice teachers or communication partners with regard to the child's abilities.
, - Knowing a child's diagnostic classification may not be very helpful in planning an intervention
program. SLPs, instead, use a decision-making process based on an individual's communication
strengths and limitation
The Speech Chain - Answer > Basic model of communication used to explain the processes of
communication from the speaker's production of words, through transmission of sound, to the
listener's perception of what has been said (speaker to listener)
> The speech chain model emphasizes the complexity of the communication system
- There can be problems in the system
> Reminds us that language has both a receptive and expressive component.
- Within a convo, a person alternates between listening (receptive language) and speaking
(expressive language).
- A good communicator speaks and listens
> Communication system requires a number of mechanisms to occur.
- Acoustic information must be transferred (Level), motor activity must take place (Level 2), and
the brain is activated at Level 3 to create meaningful symbolic (i.e., linguistic) info.
Speech Chain: Level 1 - Answer > Represents acoustic level of communicative function: the
external or environmental system.
> This level describes how physical energy is transferred between communication partners.
> In its simplistic form, Level 1 represents the molecular vibration forming sound waves and
transferring physical energy from the speaker to the listener
Speech Chain: Level 2 - Answer > Represents the internal physical/motor system required for
communication.
> In the listener, the physical system consists of the hearing mechanism and the transfer of
neural messages to the brain's language center.
> In the speaker, Level 2 represents the speech system, including respiration, articulation, and
phonation.
> The physical speech systems must be coordinated to produce intelligible speech.
Children Test 1 Questions with
Accurate Answers 2026-2027 Updated.
Language Disorder - Answer > Impaired comprehension and/or use of spoken, written,
and/or other symbol systems.
> Can represent a deficit in receptive language, expressive language, or a combined expressive-
receptive deficit.
- Receptive language refers to an individual's ability to understand and process language;
expressive language refers to an individual's ability to express and communicate meaning with
language.
- Typically, an individual's receptive language abilities are better than his or her expressive
language abilities.
> If bilingual, have problems in both languages
Language Delay - Answer > Sometimes a young child (2 to 3 years old) who exhibits a
developmental lag in language is said to have a language delay, be a late talker, or have late
language emergence.
> This terminology is used because experts state that a language disorder cannot be reliably
diagnosed in young children in the absence of a primary disorder (e.g., intellectual disability,
autism)
Language Difference - Answer > Language difference results from a variation of a symbol
system used by a group of individuals that reflects and is determined by shared regional, social,
or cultural/ethnic factors.
> It is essential that professionals distinguish between aspects of language production
representing dialectal patterns (i.e., language difference) and true disorders in speech and
language.
> Do they need help learning language?
Descriptive Developmental Approach - Answer > Much of what you will learn about language
disorders applies across disability categories.
,> Rather than focusing on a child's diagnostic category (e.g., autism, specific learning disability),
skilled practitioners use a descriptive-developmental framework to guide intervention.
> A descriptive-developmental approach focuses on a student's language development and
function in a variety of natural contexts.
- Looks at broad differences between individuals and approaches the situation based on the
person
> A practitioner who uses a descriptive-developmental approach works to understand an
individual's communication strengths and limitations rather than focusing on his or her
diagnostic label.
> 2 ways of looking at language disorders: categorical and descriptive
- Categorical= you have this disorder b/c of this syndrome (ex: autism, down's syn); categorical
models may not work b/c many extremes (cerebral palsy has many extremes); have to meet
criteria; doesn't work for language disorders (SLI)
Categorical Vs. Descriptive: Advantages - Answer > The categorical model organizes language
disorders on the basis of an individual's syndromes of behavior; it is fundamentally a medical
model.
> Its advantages are that it (a) is easily understandable, (b) often is necessary in qualifying a
child for educational services, and (c) provides a basic explanation of how a particular child may
be different from other children.
Categorical Vs. Descriptive: Limitations - Answer > The limitations of the categorical model
are the following:
- There is not always a cause-effect relationship between an individual's diagnosis and his or her
language impairment. Does a hearing loss mean that a child will automatically have a language
delay?
- Children with different diagnostic labels may be quite similar. A child with a pragmatic disorder
may be classified as having autism, intellectual disability, or specific language impairment.
- Children's degree of impairment may vary dramatically within a diagnostic category. For
example, a child with autism may be very mildly impaired; the diagnostic label may unfairly
prejudice teachers or communication partners with regard to the child's abilities.
, - Knowing a child's diagnostic classification may not be very helpful in planning an intervention
program. SLPs, instead, use a decision-making process based on an individual's communication
strengths and limitation
The Speech Chain - Answer > Basic model of communication used to explain the processes of
communication from the speaker's production of words, through transmission of sound, to the
listener's perception of what has been said (speaker to listener)
> The speech chain model emphasizes the complexity of the communication system
- There can be problems in the system
> Reminds us that language has both a receptive and expressive component.
- Within a convo, a person alternates between listening (receptive language) and speaking
(expressive language).
- A good communicator speaks and listens
> Communication system requires a number of mechanisms to occur.
- Acoustic information must be transferred (Level), motor activity must take place (Level 2), and
the brain is activated at Level 3 to create meaningful symbolic (i.e., linguistic) info.
Speech Chain: Level 1 - Answer > Represents acoustic level of communicative function: the
external or environmental system.
> This level describes how physical energy is transferred between communication partners.
> In its simplistic form, Level 1 represents the molecular vibration forming sound waves and
transferring physical energy from the speaker to the listener
Speech Chain: Level 2 - Answer > Represents the internal physical/motor system required for
communication.
> In the listener, the physical system consists of the hearing mechanism and the transfer of
neural messages to the brain's language center.
> In the speaker, Level 2 represents the speech system, including respiration, articulation, and
phonation.
> The physical speech systems must be coordinated to produce intelligible speech.
