In order to fully understand both the development and the breakdown of communication, it is necessary to have a foundation in anatomy, physiology, psychology, sociology, and other allied fields. The breadth of the discipline and the range of its applications make communicative disorders and sciences appealing to students from many diverse backgrounds. Speech-Language Pathology Speech disorders deal with the anatomical and physiological mechanisms that control speech production. Study is directed to numerous areas of speech and voice deficits, such as articulation disorders, cleft palate, stuttering, and laryngectomy. The cause and effects of these disorders are studied from a diagnostic point of view with an eye toward effective therapy.
Emphasis is placed on remediation techniques.
Language disorders are concerned with the development of language and linguistic processes. This area considers the nature of disorders that interfere with the proper development of language, or which cause a breakdown of language that has already developed. The study of language disorders includes formal and informal analyses of language, as well as specific and general techniques that may be used to rehabilitate children and adults with such disorders. Audiology Audiology is the study of hearing and hearing disorders. This includes auditory physiology, auditory processing deficits, and diagnostic and rehabilitative procedures.