Speech Therapy
Diagnostic and therapeutic services are available for preschool and school-age children with speech sound disorders. We meet each child’s unique needs through functional, highly-motivating activities.
What are speech sound disorders?
Does your child have difficulty pronouncing sounds? Is your child’s speech hard to understand? Learning to speak is a complex process. Children may produce sounds incorrectly at first, but errors should self-correct with maturity. When a child is unable to self-correct and/or errors persist beyond a certain age, a speech sound disorder (SSD) may be identified.
Children may experience difficulty with articulation, how sounds are physically produced, or phonology, the rules and patterns of how sounds are organized. Articulation and phonological disorders are characterized as developmental disabilities. A child who has difficulty planning and coordinating movements may be diagnosed with apraxia, which is considered a motor or neurological disorder.
SSDs affect a child’s ability to communicate effectively with others, which can impact their social interactions and academic performance.
Assessment
A thorough evaluation lays the foundation for skilled intervention. Standardized assessments are used to evaluate your child’s production of speech sounds and identify a formal diagnosis. Dynamic assessment provides vital information about your child’s areas of strength and skills of need. A written report, including recommendations for the child and family, and a consultative review are provided.
Treatment
A treatment plan outlining goals for your child will be developed, and progress will be monitored closely. The frequency and duration of treatment are based on each child’s individual needs. Parent/caregiver training is incorporated into your child’s treatment plan and each therapeutic session. Frequent, repeated practice is required to develop speech skills on an automatic level. Opportunities for repetition are multiplied when parents encourage practice outside of speech therapy sessions.
