Monday 19 August 2013

Study to Battle Communicative Disorders

Author: Amanda Stein
The ability to communicate complex thoughts and ideas is one of the greatest evolutionary advantages that the human race has. Communication, be it verbal, symbolic, or written, has been key in almost all aspects of human civilization. From the construction of huge edifices, to the agricultural revolution to the era of the Internet, the ability to speak and listen has allowed for the cooperative effort necessary to build a world. However, there are some people who experience great difficulty in speaking or understanding speech, due to pathological disorders. If helping those people feels like your calling in life, then it's time to start earning a communicative disorders degree at a local university or college.

Communicative Disorders

A communicative disorder is defined as any problem which a person may experience with speech or comprehension of language. Obviously this definition covers a wide spectrum of different disorders, from the generally mild to the severe. A communication can be something as simple as a substitution problem, such as when the letter "W" is switched with the letter "R". Other times, it can be a major case of aphasia, which is the inability to understand one's own native tongue. Speech/language pathologists are professionals who help patients understand and overcome communicative disorders. Some of the cases a pathologist deals with might involve the following:
    • Cluttering - Characterized by an abnormally fast or irregular rate of speech
    • Discalculia - Similar to dyslexia, a condition which affects the parts of the brain used to communicate numbers.
    • Receptive aphasia - A condition resulting from damage to the frontal lobe. Patients tend to speak in long, rambling sentences which generally do not have any context or make any sense. Often, these patients do not realize what they are saying.
    • Esophageal voice - Occurs when a person swallows air into their esophagus. The air vibrates a muscle in the esophagus, limiting the person to short sentences in a very quiet voice.

Learn More

If you are interested in the mechanics of speech and have a passion for helping others, then earning a communicative disorders degree from a nearby university is the right path of study for you. Speech/language pathology is an increasingly common field of study at most colleges and universities. There are even some institutions of learning which allow you to earn your degree online. If you are already supporting yourself with a full-time job, then online studies is a good way to further your education without slamming the brakes on your current life routine. You can find out more by talking to a counselor at a college near you.
About the Author
Utah State University (http://online.usu.edu/degrees/comd2) provides high quality online bachelors degree programs. Receive more information today in communicative disorders degree prepares students who desire to work in either Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology.

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