Pediatrics
Speech
Speaking clearly helps us to communicate effectively and feel confident.
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You may have had your child evaluated by a Speech Therapist at school, however, they did not qualify for speech therapy. The therapist may have used terms such as apraxia of speech, dysarthria, articulation disorder, or phonological disorder.
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At SVSP we provide a variety of treatments depending on the nature of the
speech disorder, including P.R.O.M.P.T. for apraxia of speech. We are here for
those who did not qualify for treatment at school or for families who wish
to supplement the treatment their child is receiving at school.
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Language
The four main areas of language are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Some children may need a little extra help in these areas to catch up with their age group/grade level and may not have qualified for speech therapy at school. At SVSP we are here to help your child develop their skills in all four areas of language. After an evaluation a plan of care is developed including the family and child as decision-makers. We look forward to helping your child feel confident at school and to grow to their fullest potential!
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Autism
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) affects how people function socially, whether at home, at school,
or in the greater community. Individuals with ASD can greatly vary in their symptoms
and severity. At SVSP we treat those with moderate autism spectrum disorder to those who
are highly functional. We begin with a communication assessment to determine the individual’s
language ability: receptive, expressive, and social language. An individualized plan of care
is then developed together with patients and families to meet the individual’s personal needs.
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Areas of language treatment may target speaking in longer sentences,
understanding what others are saying, etc,
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Areas of social language treatment may target having eye contact during conversations,
taking turns when speaking, maintaining the topic of conversation, expressing emotions
or interpreting the emotions of others, interpreting nonverbal cues such as facial
expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc.
Aural Rehabilitation
If your child appears to be having a hearing problem, we recommend they first see an audiologist to determine the nature of the loss. The audiologist may then recommend that your child see
a Speech-Language Pathologist for aural rehabilitation which involves training in auditory perception. This includes activities to increase awareness of sound, identify sounds, tell the difference between sounds, and understand what is heard. This training helps children tell one word from another.
Your child may also benefit from improving their speech. This involves working
on the production of speech sounds (by themselves, in words, and in conversation),
voice quality, speaking rate, breath control, loudness, and speech rhythms.
And they may also benefit from developing their language level. This involves increasing
language understanding (reception) and language usage (expression) according to
developmental expectations. It is a complex process involving concepts, vocabulary,
word knowledge, use in different social situations, narrative skills, expression
through writing, and understanding rules of grammar.
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American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2021, January 1). Audiology Information Series ©ASHA 2021 Aural Re(Habilitation) for
Children. sha.org. Retrieved October 6, 2024, from https://www.asha.org/siteassets/ais/ais-aural-re-habilitation-for-children.pdf
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Contact
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