Almansor Speech and Language Learning Clinic

At the Almansor Center we believe that communication is essential to all relationships, whether they be in the classroom, at work, or with family and friends. It is the process of exchanging information, ideas, and feelings, which involves encoding, transmitting, and decoding intended messages. Therefore, having difficulty speaking, hearing, or understanding can affect every aspect of a person's life.

Forty-two million Americans have communication disorders because of a hearing loss, developmental problem, stroke, or other condition that interferes with speech, language or hearing. Speech disorders affect approximately 10-15% of pre-schoolers, and 6% of children in grades 1 through 12. Language disorders affect approximately 2-3% of the preschool population and 1% of school-age children.

At The Almansor Center, the Speech & Language Program consists of licensed Speech Language pathologists who provide clinical services for a variety of child and adolescent speech and language disorders from the age of 0 to 21 and beyond. Disabilities such as Autism, stuttering, developmental verbal apraxia, Down's Syndrome, Learning Disabilities (Specific Language Impaired and/or delayed), phonological disorders, Cerebral Palsy, deaf and hard of hearing, etc. are remediated.

The Almansor Center is also a certified provider for the Fast ForWord family of products through Scientific Learning, Inc.

Communication Disorders

• Fluency Disorders - the most common of speech problems, affecting millions of children characterized by problems in establishing a smooth rhythm for speech.

• Delayed Language - experienced by children who are slow to develop adequate language skills.

• Semantic/Pragmatic Language Disorders – problems in verbal and nonverbal use of language in social contexts.

• Articulation/Phonological Disorders - most often appears in school-age or younger children. Characterized by substituting one sound for another, omitting sounds, or distorting them or problems in development of the rules for applying sounds.

• Voice Disorders - exemplified by speech that is too high or too low, monotonous, or interrupted by breaks. A harsh, hoarse, breathy, or nasal voice can often be a distracting indication of a voice disorder

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Hearing Disorders

• Conductive - results in sounds not being conducted efficiently through the ear canal and middle ear mechanisms that can be a result of colds, allergies, or childhood illness.

• Sensorineural - occurs when the inner ear or nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain are damaged. Can be the result of aging, heredity, birth defects, certain drugs, head injury, tumors, or exposure to loud noise.

• Mixed - hearing loss that is a result of a combination of conductive and sensorineural disorders.

• Central - the result when the auditory centers of the brain are affected by injury, disease, tumor, heredity, or unknown causes. Unlike other hearing disorders, people with central types disorders may be able to hear sounds but not be able to infer their meaning.

For further information, please contact:

Elizabeth “Betty” Lowell, M.A.
Speech and Language Learning Clinic
1955 Fremont Avenue
South Pasadena, CA 91030
(323) 344-4279

For further information about communication disorders, or about how to locate a certified audiologist or Speech-Language Pathologist in your area:

Please call (800) 638-8255
or contact:
* The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Information Resource Center
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852