1st definition:
The following information was supplied by AFASIC
What is aphasia/dysphasia?
These are the oldest terms used in the field of specific language impairments. Originally they would have described the field completely. They originated as Greek constructions coined by doctors to describe the conditions of having no speech (a - not and pha - speak) and having deviant speech (dys - bad) following brain trauma - such as head injury, a stroke or meningitis. Speech here includes language. These terms are still used widely in the adult field in connection with acquired language difficulties. For nearly a century all research and clinical understanding of speech and language impairments was gathered under these terms.
In the 1950s professionals began to realise that children could show developmental difficulties that resembled the adult conditions described by the terms aphasia and dysphasia, but without any known brain trauma having occurred. The terms were initially very valuable in identifying the children we would now describe as having specific speech and language impairments. An immediate problem of transfer to children arises from the fact that nearly all children move from an aphasic to a dysphasic state as their development continues and as help is provided. For this reason dysphasia came to be more commonly used for children.
In a further attempt to make the terms applicable to children the word developmental was added, leading to the terms developmental aphasia and developmental dysphasia. The following are other variations that can be encountered with reference to children.
congenital aphasia/dysphasia - used for those whose difficulty is present from birth
acquired aphasia/dysphasia - used for those whose speech and language development is affected by, for example, brain injury or meningitis
receptive aphasia/dysphasia - used for those who have difficulties in understanding speech
expressive aphasia/dysphasia - used for those who can understand speech but have problems using it
Broadly speaking, all the above terms can be used according to their definitions provided of course that they describe the child's circumstances. It is wrong to assume that they correspond to exact medical or psychological conditions or that they convey a clear picture of the exact problem that the child has.
These terms have become less frequently used in recent years, particularly in the UK and USA.
Audi-mutit� (also called congenital aphasia or dysphasic syndrome) is the result of a cerebral dysfunction in the language part of the brain. This brings about limitations in comprehension and expression of language to the point of preventing the child from communicating and behaving like other children his/her own age.
It is difficult to describe this disorder acurately, as many different profiles can be observed in children suffering from dysphasia. The difficulties can be felt in different levels of laguage and can be more or less severe. Although dysphasia is not caused by intellectual deficiency, hearing deficiency, relational disorders, hypostimulation or bilingualism, it can coexist with any or all of these caracteristics. The correct assessment of the pathology demands the expertise of a speech therapist. He/she poses a differential diagnosis after conducting the appropriate complementary examinations.
It seems that more boys than girls are affected. Along with language disorders (comprehension and verbal expression) there are abstraction and generalisation disorders and difficulties with perception of time as well as occasionally auditive perception disorders. Note that learning disorders constantly accompany this pathology.
Dysphasic children usually have normal intelligence, a developped sense of observation and a desire to communicate. Despite this, Audi-mutit� is condidered a severe communication and developmental problem, which necessitates an adapted individualised approach with the family and school.
According to research done at the University of Iowa in the early to mid-nineties, 9% of boys and 6,8% of girls presented some form of laguage impairement or dysphasia.
Characteristics of dysphasic children:
The characteristics are split into two groups:
The first group relates to disorders ALWAYS found in dysphasic children, they are:
Language disorders pertaining to both comprehension and verbal expression, that can affect syntax, semantics, phonology, pragmatics, speech, etc
Abstraction disorders, causing diffculty in assessing the essential elements of a complex grouping to understand the general concept being presented.
Generalisation disorders manifesting themselves by an inability to use knowledge acquired before in a similar situation to any new situation
Troubles with perception of time or difficulty in understanding temporal notions and to situate themselves in a timeline.
Difficulties with metalinguistic abilities manifesting themselves by an inability to evoke rimes, classify by semantic fields, analizing ambiguities, grasp figurative language...
The second group relates to disorders which can be added to variable degrees, leaving room for a group of possible combinations, they are:
A motor difficulty or incapacity to reproduce a voluntary movement whereas it can be carried out normally during automatic or spontaneous activities; verbal apraxia, apraxia of construction, apraxia of dressing.
A disorder of coarse motricity or difficulty of execution of movement and maintenance of balance.
A speech disorder or varied attacks of different parametres of speech (articulation, phonation, fluidity, resonance, prosody).
A disorder of visual perception or difficulty of discriminating the visual information, if presented at a too fast speed.
A disorder of spacial orientation or difficulty with locating and to organize oneself in space.
A disorder of auditive perception resulting in a difficulty of discrimination, of sounds and of their sequence. This disorder can be connected to the duration of the aural signal.
Some behavior problems (often related to their difficulties of comprehension and adaptation to a situation): hyperactivity or hypoactivity: multiplication of activities or passivity; catastrophisation: disproportionate reactions compared to an event; deficit of the attention and concentration or fixing on a detail; exaggerated impulsiveness involving a greater risk of error; variation of performance from one time to another in an identical situation and by the fact even instability of acquisitions; mis-anticipation from what will occur; perseveration on a stereotyped activity.
