言語治療師為兒童和成人評估、 診斷和治療語音、 語言、 社交溝通、 認知溝通和吞咽障礙。

• 語音包括構音 (articulation)、嗓音 (voice)和說話流暢度 (fluency).。
   構音障礙指咬字不清。聲線障礙則指聲線 (quality)、聲量 (vocal volume) 、音調 (pitch) 、及共嗚 (resonance) 出現困難。
此障礙的病徵為聲音沙啞、失聲、走音、漏氣、和過重或過輕鼻音 (hypernasality and hyponasality)。
而流暢障礙是俗稱「口吃」問題。這是指說話時出現字 、音或語句重覆及不適當的停頓。

• 語言障礙指一個人在理解他人，或分享想法和情感時出現困難。
   語言障礙涉及語言形式 (語音、 形態、 語法)、 內容 (語義)，和應用 (語用學)。

• 社交溝通障礙指一個人在語言及非語言運用和溝通技巧出現偏差, 例如未能明白比喻或洞悉人物表情及肢體動作的意思。

• 認知溝通障礙包括組織想法、 注意力、 記憶力、 規劃、 和/或解決問題的能力出現問題。

**免責聲明: 以下資訊是從美國語言聽力學會網站獲得。本人把英語翻譯成中文及略為刪改。**

“What do Speech-language pathologists do ?”

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.
• Speech disorders occur when a person has difficulty producing speech sounds correctly (e.g., articulation disorder) or fluently (e.g., stuttering is a form of disfluency) or has problems with his or her voice or resonance (e.g.hypernasality and hyponasality)
• Language disorders occur when a person has trouble understanding others, or sharing thoughts, and feelings. Language disorders may involve the form (phonology, morphology, syntax), content (semantics), and/or use (pragmatics) of language in functional and socially appropriate ways.
• Social communication disorders occur when a person has trouble with the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication, such as comprehension of figurative language, facial expressions and body language.
• Cognitive-communication disorders include problems organizing thoughts, paying attention, remembering, planning, and/or problem-solving.