SPEECH THERAPY

Speech Therapy Services

Our speech-language pathologists work with families to address various communication impairments. They are skilled professionals who instruct children in many aspects of communication and cognition, including:

• Receptive language: interpreting and understanding information from the environment

• Expressive language: expressing needs, wants, and ideas to others as well as using vocabulary and concepts

• Pragmatic language: social language which includes using language for different purposes (greeting, informing, requesting, etc.) and following rules for conversation (taking turns, staying on topic, facial expressions, eye contact, etc.)

• Articulation: producing speech sounds in words, sentences, and conversation

• Phonology: recognizing and manipulating speech sounds to make words and build literacy skills

• Reading/writing: decoding and understanding written information, spelling correctly, and writing in a clear, organized fashion

• Fluency: speaking smoothly at an appropriate speed

• Voice: producing a clear voice and using healthy speaking/voicing behaviors

• Augmentative/alternative communication: using alternative systems and technology to supplement or substitute for verbal expression, such as PECS, sign language, or dedicated computer systems

• Cognitive development: developing skills in memory, problem-solving, inferencing, predicting, and interacting with others

• Oral-motor and oral-sensory function: using oral structures (mouth, teeth, tongue, etc.) for speech and safe, efficient eating

• General feeding issues: accepting a variety of nutritious foods with varying flavors, textures, temperatures, and chewing demands

Our speech-language pathologists are committed to helping children reach their full developmental potential and realize their full range of communication abilities for improved quality of life, more active participation within their families, and increased independence in activities of daily living.

Your child may benefit from Speech Therapy if he/she experiences any of the following:

• You or other people have difficulty understanding your child.
• Your infant/toddler is not babbling/playing with sounds or trying to imitate you.
• People think your child is younger than he/she actually is because of the way he/she speaks.
• Your child is being teased or shows frustration because of the way he/she talks.
• Your child uses fewer words than other children of his/her age.
• Your child stutters or produces speech with many stops and starts.
• Your child's interactions or play seem unusual or inappropriate when compared with peers.
• Your child struggles with reading, writing, and/or spelling.
• There is a diagnosis that could affect speech or language such as hearing loss, auditory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, or developmental delay.

With younger children, delays in communication can be hard to identify or judge. All children develop at different rates and, for some, moving from babbling to full, well-pronounced and grammatically correct sentences can be a slow and challenging process that takes time. Typically, the speech of 3-year-old children is understood by most people (both familiar and unfamiliar to the child). Also, most 3-year-old children can understand and respond to what other people say to them.

Contact our office to schedule an evaluation with one of our skilled Speech Therapists.