Refers to the state of the nervous system which impacts a child’s alertness and awareness of sensory stimuli.

Personal care activities necessary for everyday living, such as eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, and toileting.

American Occupational Therapy Association; professional and credentialing association for occupational therapists and certified occupational therapy assistants.

The inability to make a voluntary movement; can be oral, limb, or both.

American Physical Therapy Association; professional and credentialing association for physical therapists and physical therapy assistants.

Articulation is the production of speech sounds in words. Speaking clearly involves the coordinated use of the lips, jaw, teeth, tongue, and palate. Children develop the use of these skills over time, so their speech gradually becomes clearer as they mature. Read more here.

The inability to correctly produce speech sounds (phonemes) because of imprecise placement, timing, pressure, speed, or flow of movement of the lips, tongue, and/or throat.

American Speech and Hearing Association; professional and credentialing association for audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Aspergers: a disorder characterized by sustained impairment in social interaction, development of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities.

A behavior disorder, usually diagnosed in childhood, which is characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and in some cases hyperactivity.

The brain's ability to tell the difference between very similar sounds.

A professional who specializes in the identification, testing, habilitation, and rehabilitation of hearing loss.

A tool that helps individuals with limited or absent speech to communicate.

Techniques used with people who are hearing impaired to improve their ability to speak and to communicate.

A neurological and developmental disorder that usually appears during the first three years of life, characterized by impaired social interaction, communication and behavior.

A feeling of revulsion and repugnance toward a sensation, accompanied by an intense desire to avoid or turn away from it.

Coordination of the two sides of the body.

A primitive brain part, which regulates elementary sensorimotor processes, such as breathing, swallowing, becoming aroused, and calming down.

The inability of individuals with normal hearing and intelligence to differentiate, recognize, or understand sounds.

The brain and network of nerves within the spinal cord that controls life functions, including movement and sensation.

The brain part that directs accurate body movements and balance, and that processes all other types of sensation.

A broad term that describes a group of neurological (brain) disorders. It affects the communication between the brain and the muscles, causing a permanent state of uncoordinated movement and posturing.

A congenital malformation that occurs in utero during the first trimester of pregnancy and involves a fissure in the soft palate and sometimes the hard palate.  Can have effects on speech and swallowing.

The ability to use muscles together in order to perform purposeful well-controlled movements.

The ability to cross over the middle of the body easily, smoothly and automatically, usually with the arms and eyes.

A very broad, vague term implying slow development in one or more areas -e.g. language, motor, learning, or social skills.

Ability to naturally perform better with one side of the body.

A genetic condition caused by an extra #21 chromosome (Trisomy 21), causing a variety of physical features and developmental delays.

A swallowing disorder; the inability of food or liquids to pass easily from the mouth, into the throat, and down into the esophagus to the stomach during the process of swallowing.

A diagnostic term referring to the condition in which a child has difficulty with praxis, or conceiving of a new idea or how to approach and execute the motor actions for a novel task.

Treatment started early in a child’s development. Early detection of delays, combined with treatment appropriate to each individual child, can prevent the “snowball effect,” which occurs when delays increase and affect other areas of learning and development.

The use of assessment tools, such as tests and observations to measure a person's developmental level and individual skills, or to identify a possible difficulty.

Refers to a child's ability to express ideas in oral and written language.

The pull of the muscles away from the front of the body; straightening or stretching.

Ability to coordinate vision with movement in general.

The senses of hearing, vision, taste, smell, and protective touch which respond to external stimuli coming from the environment.

A failure to eat adequately as reflected by weight loss or failure to gain weight.

A genetic condition in which the X-chromosome has a small area of duplicated genetic material. This causes a variety of physical features and a range of developmental problems from no symptoms to learning disabilities and behavioral problems.

The instinctive reaction to defend oneself from real or perceived danger by becoming aggressive or by withdrawing.

Activities that require the coordination of the small muscles of the body, especially those of the hand, such as grasping and writing; also includes eye-hand coordination in infancy and problem solving with toys and puzzles in early childhood.

Movement of the muscles around a joint to pull a body part toward its front or center; bending.