Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and Language Therapy for children is a specialized form of therapy that focuses on improving communication skills and abilities. Speech therapists work with children to address various aspects of communication, including:
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Speech Sounds: Helping children develop clearer speech by targeting specific sounds they may have difficulty with.
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Language Development: Expanding vocabulary, improving sentence structure, and enhancing the ability to express thoughts and ideas effectively.
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Fluency: Helping children achieve smooth and fluent speech, especially for those with stuttering or other fluency disorders.
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Voice Production: Addressing issues related to voice quality, volume, and resonance.
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Auditory Comprehension: Enhancing the ability to understand spoken language and follow instructions.
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Social Communication: Improving skills such as turn-taking, initiating and maintaining conversations, and understanding nonverbal cues.
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Pragmatics: Teaching appropriate use of language in different social contexts, such as greetings, requests, and expressing emotions.
Through fun and engaging activities, speech therapists create personalized therapy plans to meet each child's unique needs and support them in achieving their communication goals. Speech therapy is incredibly beneficial for children as it enhances their confidence, independence, and overall communication abilities, leading to improved academic performance, social interactions, and quality of life.
Although we are able to treat any speech and language disorder, these are a few of the most common that we see:
Speech Sound Disorders
A Speech Sound Disorder is the inability to produce certain sounds or words by a certain age. This can affect social, academic, and professional development.
Childhood
Apraxia of Speech
Childhood Apraxia of Speech is when a child has difficulty planning the movements necessary to say words. Children with CAS know what they want to say, but their mouth just won't move the way it needs to in order to say words clearly.
Autism & Social Communication
These disorders are characterized by difficulties with social interaction, imaginative play, as well as verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
Stuttering
Stuttering is a type of fluency disorder. Fluency disorders are characterized by a disruption in typical rate and rhythm of speech. Some stuttering can be normal, and some may be signs of a developing disorder.
Tongue Thrust
Tongue thrust appears when the tongue presses too far forward in the mouth, especially during swallow, and may affect speech production, as well as the alignment of the teeth.
Voice
Voice disorders can affect the pitch, volume, or sound quality of your voice. They occur when the vocal folds are unable to properly vibrate which can be due to nodules, polyps, or something else. Voice disorders can be common among preschool children.
Executive Functioning
Difficulties with executive functioning can manifest as problems with attention, memory, impulse control, organization, planning, and hierarchical thinking.
Lisp
There are several types of lisps, but the most well known is a frontal lisp, or producing a "th" for a S or Z sound. Some types of lisps are possible to outgrow, and some require specialized treatment by a SLP.
Speech Delay
A speech delay is when a baby or toddler does not meet typical communication milestones. This affects approximately 10% of toddlers.
Language Disorder
A Language Disorder makes it difficult to use and understand language. A child with a language disorder will have difficulty understanding what people say to them, as well as using sentences to communicate their own thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
Tongue Tie
Also known as ankloglossia, tongue tie occurs when the ligament that connects the tongue to the jaw is too tight. This can impair one's ability to produce certain speech sounds.
Auditory Processing
Auditory Processing Disorder is a condition in which the brain has difficulty making sense of what it hears. A child with APD may be very intelligent, but have difficulty hearing and understanding auditory information, following directions, and concentrating when someone is talking.