Speech Therapy
Speech/language pathology specialize in complete speech/language
diagnostic and therapeutic services. Each client's needs are addressed individually,
with sensitivity to the individual's specific situation. Services are provided for
a diverse population, treating children from birth through age 18. These services
include assessment, intervention, and consultation for children with language delays,
phonological disorders, developmental dyspraxia, articulation difficulties and social
communication difficulties. Special treatment plans are designed for children with
autism, syndromes, apraxia, and other neurogenic disorders and developmental delays.
Why should I seek private speech/language therapy and occupational therapy?
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What is speech/language therapy? |
What is a speech/language
pathologist?
Research has indicated children demonstrate greater developmental success with early
intervention. Parents are not limited to services offered through the school system.
These services are typically covered under medical insurance plans.
It is a specialty that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of speech disorders.
Therapy is implemented to increase the communication skills of an individual. Speech
language pathologists work with both expressive (what a child says) and receptive
(what a child understands) language skills.
A speech-language pathologist is a professional who is trained in the assessment,
diagnosis and treatment of a variety of communication disorders including speech,
language, voice, fluency and swallowing. Practicing speech-language pathologists
are required to obtain a masters degree from an accredited college or university
in conjunction with the National Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC). Communication
disorders can be caused by a variety of factors which include, but are not limited
to, brain injuries, neurological disorders, hearing loss, birth defects, physical
impairments and mental retardation.
What is a Speech Disorder?
Speech is the production of sounds, including voice quality, articulation,
and rate of speech. A speech disorder may be present when a person is dysfluent
(stuttering), has a vocal quality that differs from the norm (i.e. hoarse, breathy
etc.) or when a person adds, deletes, distorts, or substitutes sounds in words.
What is a Language Disorder?
An impairment in the ability to understand and/or use words in context, both verbally
and nonverbally. Language is a system of symbols (words, gestures, etc.) that give
meaning to speech. A language disorder may be present when a person uses poor sentence
structure, has a limited vocabulary, misunderstands what people say, has difficulty
following directions or does not follow the social “rules” of our culture (i.e.
personal space, eye contact, touch, etc.).
What is a Specific Language Impairment?
There is no specific underlying cause
for the language impairment. Children are typically developing in other areas of
development, demonstrating the impairment specifically to language/speech development.
