Pediatric Speech Therapy
What is Pediatric Speech Therapy?
Pediatric Speech Therapy is treatment for kids who have difficulties with articulation, language, voice, fluency, or feeding. Speech Therapy helps children with both speaking and understanding communication.
Signs That Your Child Needs Speech Therapy
- Inability to produce certain speech sounds at the word and/or sentence level
- Using less than 20 words at 18 months and less than 50 words by age 2
- Difficulty producing two-word phrases by age 2
- Inability to comprehend spoken requests or instructions
- Difficulty speaking in grammatically correct sentences
- Using an inappropriately loud or soft speaking volume
- Repeating sounds, words, syllables, or phrases which disrupts the normal rate of speech
- Difficulty chewing, eating certain textures, coughs or gags during meals, or refuses to eat or drink
- Stuttering
Speech Therapy at Our Clinic
Our therapists will work with your child and family in a team-based approach to provide support, strategies, and interventions to help your child make speech-language progress in their daily lives. Here’s what you can expect:
- In outpatient pediatric Speech Therapy, children will work with a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) and participate in structured and/or play-based therapeutic activities to help reach their individual goals.
- SLPs may incorporate books, toys, pictures, flashcards, games, iPad applications, crafts, and other tools to make sessions fun and motivating.
- Parent and patient education to allow for a better understanding of why the child needs services and the benefits of services.
- Programs to take home given to you by your SLP that allows your child to work on their speech and language at home to achieve the max benefits of services.
Pediatric Speech Therapy FAQs
A Speech-Language Pathologist can evaluate, diagnose, and treat fluency disorders or “stuttering.” Treatment approaches are dependent upon each child’s needs–but generally Speech Therapy will address breath control, rate of speech, triggers, awareness, etc. to improve a child’s overall fluency. Home programming materials are also sent home to further educate the family members on what their role is and how they can help their child communicate fluently within their home environment.
Yes! speech-language pathologists can evaluate and treat children with ASD who are non-verbal to help improve their functional communication skills. These skills include understanding spoken language, expressing their wants and needs using a preferred method of communication (manual sign language, gestures, vocalizations, eye gaze, etc.), practicing turn-taking or back and forth play, establishing joint attention, developing play skills, and utilizing an augmentative and alternative form to communicate (AAC) Learn more about AAC in our blog.
To be a pediatric speech therapist, you need to earn a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. This will include completing coursework and practicum or fieldwork requirements. And finally–you need to have patience, have some fun and smile. If you’re not having fun, the kiddos aren’t either!