Speech and Languages Therapy

Pediatric speech and language services focus on evaluating, diagnosing, and treating communication disorders in children. These services are provided by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and help children develop the skills needed for effective communication, learning, and social interaction.
 

Key Areas of Pediatric Speech and Language Services:

  1. Speech Sound Development (Articulation & Phonology)
    • Helping children produce sounds correctly (e.g., correcting /s/ and /z/ sounds).
    • Addressing speech sound errors like lisps or difficulty with specific consonants.
  2. Language Development (Receptive & Expressive Language)
    • Improving understanding of spoken language (following directions, answering questions).
    • Enhancing a child’s ability to use words, phrases, and sentences to express thoughts.
  3. Social Communication (Pragmatics)
    • Teaching skills like turn-taking, eye contact, and staying on topic in conversations.
    • Helping children understand emotions, nonverbal cues, and appropriate social interactions.
  4. Fluency (Stuttering)
    • Providing strategies to improve speech fluency and reduce stuttering.
  5. Voice Disorders
    • Addressing issues like hoarseness, vocal strain, or voice abnormalities.

6. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

    • Introducing communication tools (e.g., Proloquo2Go, picture boards) for nonverbal children.
    • Training children and parents on how to use AAC effectively.
7. Feeding and Swallowing Therapy (If Needed)
    • Helping children with oral-motor difficulties that affect eating and drinking.
Who Can Benefit from These Services?
Children who:
    • Have difficulty pronouncing words clearly.
    • Struggle to understand or use language appropriately.
    • Have trouble answering questions or following directions.
    • Experience social communication challenges (e.g., autism spectrum disorder).
    • Need support using an AAC device for communication.