What does a speech-language pathologist do?
A clinical speech-language pathologist conducts comprehensive evaluations and then formulates specific individualized goals based upon the testing results. These goals are then implemented in a speech-language therapy program.

What is the difference between speech and language disorders?
A language disorder is the inability to use words and their meanings properly. Children may exhibit inappropriate grammatical patterns, poor reading comprehension, poor decoding skills, difficulty with word retrieval or difficulty with the knowledge of the sound system. A language disorder can lead to a reading disability as well, and it is essential to realize the connection between language and reading development. A speech disorder is characterized by difficulty producing sounds (articulation), dysfluent speech, and voice difficulties.

What is tongue thrust?
(Oral myofunctional disorder)
Tongue thrusting is a way of swallowing. During a tongue thrust swallow, the tongue pushes against the front teeth or through the upper and lower teeth. Almost all infants swallow this way, but most children develop a "normal" swallowing pattern during early elementary years. The child must be taught to swallow a new way, with the tongue moving up and back in the mouth. We must retrain the muscles involved in swallowing.

What is dysfluency?
If your child has difficulty speaking and hesitates or repeats certain syllables, words, or phrases, he may have a speech dysfluency or stuttering problem. He may be just going through normal dysfluency that many children experience as they learn to speak. Contact a speech-language pathologist to determine if your child will benefit from therapy.

What is Apraxia (Dyspraxia) of speech?
Apraxia refers to a disorder of the nervous system which is characterized by the inability to carry out purposeful movements. They have difficulty sequencing the necessary movements that are required for speech production. Speech may be incoherent and the child may be slow to learn to speak.

What is an auditory processing deficit?
An auditory deficit is when there is a breakdown in one or more of the following areas that are essential for learning.

• Auditory attention - ability to maintain purposeful focus to sound.
• Auditory discrimination - ability to tell if two sounds are the same or different.
• Auditory Figure - Ground discrimination- ability to focus on sound in sequential order.
• Auditory sequential memory - ability to remember sounds and words in sequential order.
• Auditory synthesis - ability to blend sounds into syllables and syllables into words.
• Sound-Symbol correspondence - ability to associate a sound with an alphabetic letter.
• Rhyming and Phonological Awareness - ability to recognize sound patterns and to identify sounds and sound sequences with a word.

Will my insurance cover my child's speech and language therapy?
Some insurance companies do cover or reimburse payment for speech and language therapy services. Each client should check with his or her own company and review their policy coverage and restrictions to confirm. Please feel free to contact us regarding questions about your specific policy's coverage benefits.

What causes speech and language disorders or delays?
Each speech and language disorder or delay is unique and can be caused by a variety of factors. It is important to have suspected speech and language disorder evaluated by a licensed speech-language pathologist.

How often will my child have to be seen for speech therapy?
Each case is different, but for the most part, clients are seen once or twice a week for 30 minute sessions.

How do I know if my child needs to have his speech and language skills evaluated?
Typically physicians or teachers will notice a delay or disorder in a child's communication skills. They can recommend that your child be evaluated. Parents may also notice a delay in communication skills, and should discuss their concerns with their child's doctor and teacher, or contact a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation. Parents may also notice behavior problems arising from school-aged children because the children are frustrated with their communication problems, but aren't sure of how to express their problems to adults. In any case, if you are concerned about your child's speech and language development and/or use, please contact us to schedule an appointment.

My child is only two years old, but isn't communicating like other two-year-olds. Should I wait for him to "grow out of it"?
No, please contact us for an appointment to evaluate your child's communication skills immediately. Typically, if children are showing a delay in communication skills at this young of an age, treatment is quick, as early intervention works very fast and effectively. It is always better to be safe than sorry! Your child now could be lacking only some comprehension of basic language concepts, but if not treated now, could develop into academic, social, communication, and behavioral difficulties down the road.

My child was dismissed from speech therapy at his school. I feel that he still needs treatment, what can I do and why was he dismissed at school?
Remember that school districts operate under separate guidelines than private practitioners. For a child to receive speech and language therapy in the schools it must prove to be "educationally relevant" and must focus on educational goals and objectives. Your child may have been dismissed because they had reached a higher functioning communication level, and it was no longer "educationally relevant" for them to be seen at school. If you feel that your child still needs speech and language services, you have the right to pursue private treatment from a speech-language pathologist in a private practice setting.

What is the difference between a 'screening' and an'evaluation'?
A screening is a very brief, overall glimpse at an individual's communication skills. It skims over all areas of speech and language, including articulation, fluency, voice, grammar, vocabulary, conversational skills, and language memory. Screenings usually take only 15-20 minutes to conduct, and are relatively inexpensive procedures. Screenings only indicate whether further, in-depth testing is warranted in any specific communication area(s). On the other hand, a comprehensive evaluation is a lengthy, in-depth and detailed look at an individuals communication skills. Evaluations typically take an hour or more to administer, and are more costly. Comprehensive speech and language evaluations give specific, detailed results of all areas tested, and result in more adequate and appropriate results. Upon completion of a comprehensive evaluation the parent or client receives a written report of the results, including professional recommendations.

How will I know if my child has delayed speech and/or language skills?
Please see our Speech and Language Developmental Milestones chart.