Pediatric Speech Therapy
Our speech language pathologists go above and beyond when it comes to working with children and their families. They are committed to helping children realize their full range of communication abilities for an improved quality of life and more active participation with their families and friends. Our specially trained therapists have extensive experience working with children to improve feeding, communication, articulation, voice, fluency, and cognitive function.
Our speech therapists address areas such as:
Communication Skills
Articulation: problems making sounds in syllables, or saying words incorrectly to the point that listeners cannot understand what is being said
Fluency: problems such as stuttering in which the flow of speech is interrupted by unusual stops, partial-word repetitions, or prolonging sounds
Resounance or voice: problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distracts listeners from what’s being said
Language Skills
Receptive language: problems understanding or processing language
Expressive disorders: difficulty putting words together, having a limited vocabulary, or being unable to use language in a socially appropriate way
Cognitive-communication: communication skills that involve memory, attention, perception, organization, regulation, and problem-solving
Augmentative Communication Device Training
Augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, is a term that's used to describe various methods of communication that can help children who are unable to use verbal speech to communicate.
AAC methods vary and our therapists will help you choose the appropriate device and personalize them to meet your child’s needs.
Feeding and Swallowing
Oral Motor Deficits: when a child has difficulty controlling the muscles in their lips, mouth, tongue, and jaw it an cause problems with eating, speaking and swallowing
Our therapists have specialized training in TalkTools or Oral Placement Therapy
Oral Dyspahgia: difficulties with lip seal, trouble chewing, trouble forming a bolus, nasal regurgitation
Pharyngeal Dyspahgia: difficulty initiating a swallow, wet or gurgly vocal quality, coughing, choking, feels like something is stuck in their throat
Our therapists have specialized training in electrostimulation: the VitalStim® Therapy system
Social Skills
Pragmatic/Social Language Disorders: difficulty using verbal and/or nonverbal communication that is appropriate for the social context.
Children with difficulty with social skills often have difficulties making or keeping friends, demonstrate poor play skills or sportsmanship, tend to be aggresive and have a low frustration tolerance, low self-esteem, and have difficulty reading social cues or body language
Red Flags to look for…
When to seek Speech Therapy Services for your child:
Is not babbling by 9 months
Does not imitate sounds, gestures, or simple words by 12 months
Does not point to or verbally identify familiar objects by 15 months
Does not use 25 words consistently or continues to use more gestures than words by 18 months
Does not use 2-3 word phrases by 2 years
Family members understand less than 50% of their language by 2 years or 85% by 3 years
Not having back-and-forth conversational turn-taking by 30 months
Unfamiliar listeners have difficulty understanding them after 3 years
Difficulty engaging with peers in pretend/imaginative play at 3-4 years
Demonstrates any “loss” of language/words or social skills (like eye contact) at any age
Has difficulty making certain sounds or putting words together
Exhibiting sound or word repetitions (stuttering) more than once every 4 sentences with accompanying frustration or avoidance of speaking tasks
Is not able to follow directions or seems to have trouble understanding what is said to them
Takes a long time to eat or is refusing to try new foods
Is not gaining weight or growing at the expected rate
Dislikes certain food textures or has a very limited diet
Demonstrates poor social skills and has trouble making friends