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Is your child a "late talker"?
All children acquire speech and language skills in a universal way, meaning they typically master specific skills in a well-defined sequence. For example, typically-developing children start speaking with one word utterances between 10 and 14 months of age, with two-word utterances usually appearing at about 24 months of age. Knowing the entire sequence of typical speech and language acquisition enables the speech language pathologist to diagnose children who are not developing language skills appropriate for their chronological age. In order to quantify this, a speech language pathologist will use standardized tests to compare a child's language skills with his or her age-matched peers. The purpose of standardized testing is not only to objectively measure a child's level of speech and language development but also to establish an inventory, or listing of his or her skills. The speech language pathologist will also use informal measures, such as observation and interactive play to further define an individual's speech and language development. If you suspect your child has delayed speech and language development, we will be happy to complete a comprehensive assessment at The Speech Language Reading Center; contact us today.
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Does your child seem to have difficulty
following directions?
Some children experience auditory language processing disorders that interfere with normal listening skills. If your child has had his or her hearing assessed and it is fine, yet the child continues to have difficulty following oral directions, you may want to consider an auditory language processing assessment. The speech pathologists at The Speech Language Reading Center can help you determine if your child needs such testing. In some cases, we may need to refer you to an audiologist for further assessment. Please call or e-mail us so we can help you make an informed decision about assessment and therapy options available.
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Is your child's speech unclear?
Articulation, the way a child produces speech sounds, is also sometimes described as how clearly a child speaks. As with language development, articulation skills typically emerge in a specific, well-defined sequence in a child's speech. For example, typically-developing children are not expected to produce all consonant sounds clearly in conversation until seven years of age! However, certain sounds are mastered much earlier.
To complicate matters further, some children master all speech sounds
by age four. Your speech language pathologist is trained to evaluate which sounds your child has mastered and which are still being learned. If you are concerned that your child's articulation is not typical of children his or her age, please call or e-mail a request for an articulation assessment at the SLR Center.
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Do you know someone who has had a stroke?
Your loved one's stroke may have had an impact on his or her ability to communicate with you in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing and/or memory. Such challenges can range from mild to rather communication barriers. When faced with these challenges there is quite often an emotional component interferring as well. As speech language pathologists, our approach is entirely different when helping an adult recover or restore his or her communication skills than when working with children who are in the process of developing these same skills for the first time. Although we are primarily pediatric speech pahologists, several clinicians on our staff have many years' experience working with adults in communicative skills rehabilitation. We stand ready to assist you and your loved-one on the road to recovery, just give us a call or e-mail us today at The Speech Language Reading Center.
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Does your loved one's voice always
sound hoarse?
Voice, or the quality of an individual's speaking voice, is another area that can make communication difficult. Does it always sound like he or she has a cold? An individual's voice should be clear and without hoarseness, pitch changes or breaks in vibrations. Perhaps an ENT specialist has diagnosed your loved one with vocal nodules. At the Speech Language Reading Center, our speech language pathologists are trained to assess an individual's voice quality and provide treatment if needed. Call or e-mail us today for more information.
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Does your child struggle with reading
and spelling?
The basis of such difficulties can be in the area of phonological awareness. Closely associated with auditory processing, phonological awareness is a set of skills that allows the child to be able "sound out" words when reading and spelling. It comes through the understanding that individual sounds and syllables come together to form the words and sentences that we read and write. If a child does not develop these skills adequately, he or she may resort to memorizing words or guessing instead. At the Speech Language Reading Center, we have experience in teaching children these important skills; call us today.
Warning Signs!
Warning Signs!
Does your baby...
_____Respond with big smiles by age 5 months?
_____Turn and look in response to new sounds by age 6 months?
_____Play 'peek-a-boo' by age 9 months?
_____Point and use gestures by 10-12 months?
_____Use single words by 12-16 months?
_____Respond to name and simple instructions by 12-16 months?
_____Spontaneously use 2-word phrases by 24 months of age?
Have you noticed?
_____A sudden loss of speech at any age;
_____Total lack of eye contact;
_____Little interest in playing with peers;
_____Chronic ear infections;
_____Sudden stuttering or undue frustration when trying to communicate;
_____Difficulty chewing and/or swallowing.
If you checked any of these items, let 's discuss your concerns.
Call us today at 423.877-5042 or e-mail us right away!
