Services
Detection & Specialized Treatments
Receptive Language
Receptive language is the ability to understand and gain meaning from information in spoken or written language. It is the “input” of language. Receptive language is an essential skill that enables children to follow directions, engage in activities and also enhances social skills. In a nutshell, it is how we receive information from the world around us. Children that have difficulties with receptive language may have trouble with
-following simple verbal directions
-Answering comprehension questions (who/what/where/when/why) from a story or picture
-Understanding what gestures mean
-Identifying objects and pictures
Speech therapy is highly effective in improving receptive language skills. First, standardized assessments will be utilized to determine if there is a receptive language deficit. Next, an individualized treatment plan will be created tailored to your child’s current needs. The ultimate goal is to make your child as functional as possible in his/her everyday environment.
Early Intervention
(Birth-Three)
Early intervention is a system of services helping babies and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. It is a term used to describe the services and support that are available to infants and toddlers to help them learn new skills. One of the main areas of delay is communication (talking/listening/understanding). For some children, these delays are known from birth, while others are due to delays in development.
Typical Language Development
0-6 m
*coos/gurgles/makes eye contact/
*uses different cries to express different needs
*Smiles when spoken to
*Recognizes voices and locates those sounds
*Produces phonemes /p/, /b/, and /m/ while babbling or making combinations of sounds.
7-12 months
*Understands the directive “no”
*Uses a variety of sounds while babbling
*Uses gestures in combination with words to express wants/gain attention
*Has a vocabulary of one to three concrete words
13-18 months
*Imitates one-word utterances
*Repeats words and phrases heard in conversation
*Follows simple, one-step directives
*Identifies 1-3 basic body parts
*Has an expressive vocabulary of approximately 3-20 words (mostly nouns)
19-24 months
*Uses real words more than made-up words
*Knows a variety of body parts
*Is able to identify some photos in a book
*Uses approximately 50-100 words
2-3 years
*uses words to request objects
*follows simple, two-step directives
*Asks questions
*Has an expressive vocabulary of approximately 50-250 words
*Common red flags indicative of a language disorder include:’
*0-3 months-Doesn’t smile or interact with others
*4-7 months-Doesn’t babble
12-18 months-Only says a few words
2-3 years-Doesn’t put words together to make simple phrases, has difficulty with social language (interacting with other children).
Articulation
Articulation (pronunciation and talking) is the ability to physically move the tongue, lips, teeth, and jaw to produce sequences of speech sounds, which make up words, phrases, and sentences. It is important for these utterances to be easily understood and interpreted by others to express and communicate basic needs and wants, ideas, etc.
Unclear or “unintelligible” speech can have an adverse effect on how a child is able to interact with peers, adults, and caregivers. If a child is not understood the first time, he/she may shut down, causing behavioral issues and frustration. Precise articulation is also critical in literacy skills such as reading and spelling.
One of the most frequent articulation errors is the substitution of /r/ as a /w/? For example, does your child say “wed” for the color “red”? If so, your child may need to be assessed by a certified speech-language pathologist.
Problems associated with Poor speech intelligibility
-Self Confidence-A child may not feel confident in their abilities to communicate with others
-Social skills
Expressive Language
Expressive language refers to the ‘output” of language. This may refer to the use of words, sentences, gestures, and writing to express meaning and messages to others. These skills are essential because it allows children to express their wants and needs through thoughts and ideas, develop and express points of views, and utilize these skills in writing.
