Speech and Language Therapy helps children with expressive and receptive language development, articulation, social communication, and social skills, so a child can express their wants and needs and develop meaningful relationships. Therapyland has Speech-Language Pathologists trained in:
P.R.O.M.P.T (touch cues to a manually guide through targeted sounds, words, sentences)
Beckman (assisted movement to activate muscles and build strength to those with poor motor skills)
S.O.S. (sequential approach to feeding that integrates sensory, motor, oral, behavioral, medical and nutritional factors)
Kauffman (build successive approximations to target speech sound disorders/apraxia)
Orofacial Myofunction (tongue thrust)
Stuttering
Assistive Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices
A language disorder is an impairment in the ability to understand and/or use words in context, both verbally and nonverbally. Some characteristics of a language disorder include improper use of words and their meanings, inability to express ideas, inappropriate grammatical patterns, reduced vocabulary, and/or an inability to follow directions. Children may hear or see a word but not be able to understand its meaning. They may have trouble getting others to understand what they are trying to communicate.
Receptive language refers to the skills involved in understanding language. Receptive language also affects language use. For example, the child may have trouble understanding question forms or certain concept words. This causes the child to respond inappropriately to a question or have difficulty staying on the topic of conversation. Expressive language refers to the skills of being precise, complete and clear when expressing thoughts and feelings, answering questions, relating events, and carrying on a conversation.
A child’s communication is considered delayed when the child is noticeably behind his or her peers in the acquisition of speech and/or language skills.
The Speech Therapists at Therapyland integrate all aspects of speech and language development, including receptive and expressive language, articulation, respiration, and fluency. Cognitive components such as problem solving, and reasoning, are also addressed by our Speech Therapists. Other aspects of their treatment may include the development and training of alternative and augmentative communication, oral motor abilities, swallowing, and feeding skills.
The following are general indicators that a child may benefit from a Speech-Language Evaluation and treatment:
- Does not babble, and is over the age of 6 months
- Child is 1 year old ,or younger, and is not making or responding to sounds
- Child is older than 1 year of age and has not produced any words
- Does not appear to speak as well as peers
- Does not seem to understand what is being said to them
- Appears to have an unusual voice
- Exhibits frustration when unable to communicate needs and wants
- Is not understood by unfamiliar people, and at times, familiar people
- Does not follow simple directions
- Does not respond when spoken to
- Is over the age of 3 and does not produce the sounds /m, n, ng, p, f, h, w/
- Is slow to respond or answer questions
- Has difficulty putting thoughts together to express ideas
- Has difficulty thinking of a particular word
- Has difficulty planning and sequencing actions or tasks
- Has difficulty with social interactions including peers, family, and in the community
- Has difficulty maintaining appropriate eye contact
