Introduction to Communication Disorders

About our authors Robert E. Owens, Jr., Ph.D. (“Dr. Bob”) is a New York State Distinguished Teaching Professor and a professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the College of Saint Rose where he teaches courses in language development and language disorders. He received Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2015 for his distinguished contributions to the field of speech-language pathology. In addition to coauthoring the 6th Edition of Introduction to Communication Disorders: A Lifespan Evidence-Based Perspective, he is also the author of Language Development, An Introduction, the most widely used textbook in this area in the world, Language Disorders, A Functional Approach to Assessment and Intervention, and Early Language Intervention for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers. Dr. Owens has presented over 225 professional papers and workshops around the globe.Kimberly A. Farinella, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northern Arizona University where she teaches Motor Speech Disorders at the graduate level, and Speech Science at the undergraduate level. She also serves as Clinic Director of the Northern Arizona University Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic and supervises graduate student clinicians with pediatric and adult clients with various speech sound disorders of neurological origin. She has presented nationally on numerous occasions on the differential diagnosis and treatment of children with severe speech sound disorders. Her research interests include treatment efficacy for childhood apraxia of speech and the systematic study of the principles of motor learning.

• The Field, the Professionals, and the ClientsTypical and Disordered CommunicationOverview of the Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Production MechanismChildhood Language ImpairmentsSpeech Sound DisordersDevelopmental Literacy ImpairmentsAdult Language ImpairmentsFluency DisordersVoice and Resonance DisordersMotor Speech DisordersDisorders of SwallowingAudiology and Hearing Loss — David A. DeBonis, Ph.D.Augmentative and Alternative Communication — James Feeney, Ph.D.APPENDIX: Professional Organizations