Abnormal speech, language, cognitive and swallowing function can be caused by disease, illness, developmental delay or physical defect. Professional speech-language therapists are trained to determine the cause and treatment strategy for disordered communication. They also work with other professionals to help patients who have cognitive or swallowing problems.

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In the June issue of Nature Neuroscience, the investigator, Josef Rauschecker, PhD, and his co-author, Sophie Scott, PhD, a neuroscientist at University College, London, say that both human and non-human primate studies have confirmed that speech, one important facet of language, is processed in the brain along two parallel pathways, each of which run from lower- to higher-functioning neural regions.

These pathways are dubbed the "what" and "where" streams and are roughly analogous to how the brain processes sight, but are located in different regions, says Rauschecker, a professor in the department of physiology and biophysics and a member of the Georgetown Institute for Cognitive and Computational Sciences.

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According to Fred Bailey, Director of ECHN Rehabilitation Services, "speech and language disorders can take many forms and can limit academic achievement, social adjustment, and career advancement. An individual may be born with a speech or language disorder, or it may be caused by accidental injury or illness." "Fortunately, people with speech and language problems can be helped," said Bailey. "Even if the problem cannot be eliminated, we can teach people with speech and language problems strategies to help them cope. People may not fully regain their capacity to speak and understand, but a speech-language pathologist can help them live more independently."

Speech-language pathologists are the professionals who treat all types of speech, language, and related disorders. They hold at least a master's degree and are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Speech-language pathologists work in schools, private practice, hospitals, clinics, and other health and education settings.

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Researchers at Bowling Green State University are working with the Indiana University school of medicine to investigate the ways mothers talk to their babies and the infants' responses, particularly among babies who have cochlear implants because of hearing impairment.

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Unique brain wave patterns, spotted for the first time in autistic children, may help explain why they have so much trouble communicating.

Using an imaging helmet that resembles a big salon hair dryer, researchers discovered what they believe are "signatures of autism" that show a delay in processing individual sounds.

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Researchers have announced a link they have found between an autism gene, and the development of a language disorder which many kids suffer from. The study was led by Simon Fisher of the University of Oxford, and began by focusing on the gene FOXP2.

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