Speech and Language Therapy
Articulation
Articulation therapy focuses on production of specific speech sounds, or phonemes. Children may have a speech delay or disorder that leads to one of the following speech errors: leaving certain sounds out of words, distorting sounds, or substituting easier to make sounds for more difficult ones. These errors make a child’s speech harder to understand and can lead to frustration for the child and their communication partner. Speech therapy services can help children produce speech sounds accurately, resulting in more understandable speech.
Language Delays and Disorders
Language can be broken down into receptive and expressive language. Receptive language is the ability to understand and expressive language is the ability to use language to convey thoughts, ideas, feelings effectively. Children with a language delay or disorder may have difficulty understanding what others are saying or expressing their wants/needs. Language therapy can help children become more effective communicators.
*ASHA recommends 20 words by 18 months of age and 50+ words by 2 years old*
Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a neurologic speech sounds disorder in which children have difficulty in consistently making the precise movements of the articulators (lips, tongue, teeth) necessary for speech production. Children with apraxia make inconsistent errors. For example, when attempting to producing the word cat, they may say “bat” on the first attempt and then “cap” on the next attempt. Speech therapy services can help children with apraxia strengthen motor pathways from the brain to the articulators in order to produce speech sounds more accurately.
Early Literacy
Early literacy involves learning the foundational skills necessary to become a successful reader in the future. Phonological awareness is a key part of early literacy. Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize sounds auditorily and manipulate them. It includes the ability to recognize syllables, rhymes, start/end sounds of words, sounds within words. Speech therapy services can assist children who have literacy related learning difficulties in developing the foundational skills necessary for reading and writing.