What does a Speech-Language Pathologist do? 

A Speech-Language Pathologist assesses communication difficulties and speech/language disorders and provides treatment and consultation for children and their families.

By 12 -18 months, typically developing children are able to

• Babble with a variety of consonant sounds

• Use a number of words consistently, even if not clear

• Follow simple instructions

• Use common gestures, such as waving, pointing (to body parts, simple pictures in a book), clapping

• Enjoy a variety of play activities (such as feeding a doll, etc)

• Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books

Why might my child need to see a Speech-Language Pathologist?

Your child may need to see a Speech-Language Pathologist for an assessment if the above skills are not evident by 12 – 18 months of age.

In addition to the early skills mentioned above, children see a Speech-Language Pathologist at different ages for a variety of reasons including:

• Limited repertoire of sounds and words

• Limited vocabulary

• Difficulty being understood by others

• Demonstrating disfluent speech (stuttering)

• Difficulty following multi-step instructions

• Challenges with language skills (expressing themselves and/or understanding what others are saying)

• Difficulty with social interactions (taking other people’s perspective, following social rules, understanding non-verbal communication etc.)

What techniques do we employ?

Our Speech-Language Pathologists are trained in the use of a variety of techniques to help target children’s overall communication and speech/language skills.

In addition, some of our therapists have had specialized certification in the following:

• Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT)

• Motor Speech 201

• Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

• Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

• Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP)

• More Than Words, It Takes Two To Talk, Learning Language And Loving It, and Talkability (Hanen)

• Fluency 101