Speech and Language Therapy
The most common areas where Speech-Language Therapy is beneficial are:
Through an engaging, play-based approach, we create activities that improve speech skills such as:
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Speech
- Increasing speech clarity/intelligibility
- Production of age-appropriate speech sounds
- Phonological Processing
- Motor planning and coordination for speech
production
- Apraxia of Speech
Proficient use of language is essential to a child’s social, emotional, academic and personal success. We may address both expressive and receptive language, meaning we teach children how to better understand what is being said to them as well as how to ef express themselves. Through evidenced-based practice, this is a sampling of what we may focus on:
Language
- Language comprehension skills
- Answering questions
- Expressing wants and needs
- Following directions
Social Communication Skills
Some examples of appropriate social skills include:
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- Eye Contact
- Conversational Skills
- Social Norms (e.g., greetings)
- Appropriate Play Skills (e.g., turn-taking)
Fluency & Stuttering
There are a series of compensatory methods one can learn to drastically reduce the presences of stutters in disfluent speech. Some strategies include unique articulation techniques and breathing methods to help increase intelligibility.
What is Speech-Language Therapy?
Speech and Language Therapy covers all aspects of communication, from birth throughout adulthood. Pediatric therapy focuses on supporting infants through young adulthood. As soon as a baby is born, they’re communicating with their environment through methods such as eye-contact and crying. As that baby grows the communication demands become more complex. Communication is the essence of human interaction, the process by which we express ourselves and engage in the world around us. Learning to successfully communicate involves understanding what others’ say to us, using language to be understood, and interpreting the nuances related to social interactions.
At Play OnWords, we assess each child’s unique needs and create a treatment plan that targets areas in need of improvement using play-based activities.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Children who are delayed in learning verbal speech often need a personalized system to communicate. By providing an alternative system, mounting frustrations and negative behaviors are often significantly reduced. Alternative communication systems promote the learning of verbal speech and language structure.
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- Picture Exchange Communication Systems
- Switches or Buttons with Voice Output
- Specialized Software for iPads or Tablets
