What is Speech and Language Therapy?
Speech and language therapy is an intervention approach that guides children with speech disorders (stuttering, articulation disorder, fluency), language comprehension (expression and comprehension), phonological disorders (speech sound disorders), and social communication difficulties. Our speech therapists will assess your child’s speech milestones and develop an individualised plan that targets areas of speech and language development, social communication, auditory processing, as well as swallowing challenges.
Is my child having difficulty communicating?
There are a number of key signs that indicate your child may be experiencing difficulty communication. These include, but are not limited to:
Expressive language
Ψ Have difficulties with vocabulary
Ψ Cannot convey thoughts or write
Ψ Frequently use made-up words (jargons)
Ψ Echo language (repeating back rather than answering a question)
Ψ Frustrated when attempting to communicate
Receptive language
Ψ Struggle to listen to and follow instructions
Ψ Difficulty reading (skip words, mispronounce, guess words)
Ψ Cannot understand questions
Ψ Poor comprehension
Ψ Do not enjoy reading
Pragmatic language
Ψ Social communication difficulties (eye contact, joint attention)
Ψ Unable to adapt language to meet the needs of listener
Ψ Withdraw from social situations
Feeding
Ψ Have problems with swallowing liquids and/ or solids (dysphagia), as seen with frequent coughing or choking
Ψ Exhibits picky eating (avoid food of certain texture)
Voice
Ψ Demonstrate vocal misuse (inappropriate volume and pitch)
Ψ Vocal strains (hoarse voice; muscle tension disorder/dysphonia)
Hearing
Ψ Hearing impairment
Medical conditions
Ψ Specific diagnoses that include speech difficulties or are accompanied by a weakened muscle tone (e.g., cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism)