Tidbits of Information

When talking with parents, I often hear the comment “My son/daughter doesn’t have any problems saying his/her sounds why do I need speech therapy?” Children receive speech therapy services for more than sounds errors in their speech. 

What is speech therapy? Speech therapy is a specialized service provided by a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Speech therapists help people across the lifespan with conditions that affect speech, language, voice, swallowing, fluency and other disorders that affect communication skills. 

Speech and language disorders include the following problems, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):

Speech Disorders can include the following: 

• Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people can't understand what's being said.
• Fluency disorders include problems such as stuttering, the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering).
• Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking.
• Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders, including difficulties with eating and swallowing.

Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive:

• Receptive disorders refer to difficulties understanding or processing language.
• Expressive disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way

If you think your child may have difficulties with any of the above please do not hesitate to contact a certified Speech Language Pathologist.