speech language therapy

Speech Language Therapy

Speech Language Therapy is a treatment method for children who have speech or language delays or disorders. According to the Nemours Foundation website, "a speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, whereas a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas."

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are professionals who assess and diagnose individuals with speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing disorders. SLPs are informally referred to as Speech Therapists. SLPs may also conduct research in the field, run a private practice, or work with large companies to improve employee-customer communication ('[American Speech-Language-Hearing Association]').

Speech and Language Therapy involves a series of activities to meet your child’s specific goals.  These goals can be related to: 

  1. Speech:  Articulation (how your child makes the sounds), Fluency (stuttering), or voice (is your child’s voice strained)

  2.  Language:  Expressive Language (how your child puts words together to express thoughts), Receptive (how your child understands what is being communicated), and Pragmatic or Social Language (how your child uses communication to interact with others.

It takes time to reach the goals and length of time in therapy cannot be predicted.  There are a few important ideas to remember:

  1. Your child will learn new skills to improve skills.

  2. Your child will progress in small and steady steps.

  3. Parents play a key role in therapy success.

  4. The end goal is to be discharged from services!