Speech & Language Therapy is a Communication building therapy that helps children with developing Social Skills, Articulation and Expressive/Receptive Language Skills. Speech-Language therapy is the treatment for most kids with speech and/or language disorders. It provides treatment, support and care for children with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.
For your child, Speech Therapy may take place in a classroom or small group, or one-on-one, depending on the speech disorder. Speech therapy exercises and activities vary depending on your child’s disorder, age, and needs. During speech therapy for children, the SLP may:
A language disorder refers to a problem understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas. Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive:
In Speech-Language Therapy, an SLP works with a child one-on-one, in a small group, or in a classroom to overcome problems. Therapists use a variety of strategies, including:
The SLP will interact with a child by playing and talking, using pictures, books, objects, or ongoing events to stimulate language development.
Articulation, or sound production, exercises involve having the therapist model correct sounds and syllables in words and sentences for a child, often during play activities. The level of play is age-appropriate and related to the child's specific needs. The SLP shows the child how to make certain sounds, such as the "r" sound, and may show how to move the tongue to make specific sounds.
The SLP may use a variety of oral exercises — including facial massage and various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises — to strengthen the muscles of the mouth for eating, drinking, and swallowing. The SLP may also introduce different food textures and temperatures to increase a child's oral awareness during eating and swallowing.
