How long does speech therapy take?

The length of the therapy cannot be predicted.Speech therapy can vary from a short duration for something like an isolated tongue tie  to a lengthy period of time for people who have hearing loss,  autism, or cerebral palsy. It also depends on other issues like presence of structural or functional deficits (cleft palate), parental involvement and last but not the least the client motivation.Each case needs to be looked at individually.The rate and pattern of improvement is different for every child.Progress is evaluated in three to six month intervals.

What is the difference between speech and language?

Speech is defined as spoken language. It refers to “ the physical act of moving the articulators (jaw, tongue, and lips) to make sounds and involves articulation, voice, and fluency.

Language is a socially shared code that represents concepts with arbitrary symbols, which provides a set of rules as to how those symbols can be combined and used. It refers to the entire system of expressing and receiving information in a way that’s meaningful. It involves our understanding of others (receptive) and our meaningful expression of thoughts and feelings (expressive).Both speech and language affect our ability to effectively communicate with the people around us.

 Does having a speech or language disorder mean that a child is not intelligent?

Absolutely not! Although speech and language disorders are associated with some intellectual disabilities, there are plenty of children with average to above average intelligence who struggle with speech and language. These children may just need help learning to produce sounds correctly, monitor the fluency of their speech, or find the words to express themselves. A little help can go a long way!

Do I need to stay with my child during therapy?

Parents are not required, but are welcome to stay when their child receives therapy at times. We encourage parents to be active participants in their child’s services. If the parent is not present during therapy, the parent should return five to ten minutes before the conclusion of therapy so the therapist can review the session and possible homework.

Isn’t speech therapy just play time?

 Play is a huge part of speech and language therapy because it encourages learning in a natural and fun way.Play is really the work of childhood. Mr.Rogers said “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Kids often leave speech therapy sessions talking about all the fun they had and the games they played. This is a good thing!

What types of speech and language disorders affect children?

Speech and language disorders in children can affect the way they talk, understand, analyze or process information. Four major areas in which these impairments occur include

• Articulation  – difficulty pronouncing sounds. An articulation disorder involves problems making sounds. Sounds can be substituted, left off, added or changed. These errors may make it hard for people to understand.
• Language – difficulty understanding what they hear as well as expressing themselves with words
• Fluency  – interruption of the flow of speech that may include hesitations, repetitions, prolongations of sounds or words
• Voice – quality of voice that may include hoarseness, nasality, volume (too loud or soft)

Do speech language disorders affect learning?

Yes.Learning to communicate is the foundation for learning at school. Research has shown that early development of language is important for academic success, for understanding the teacher, learning to read, write and do math, and for developing relationships with teachers, and peers.Difficulties in communicating can lead to frustration and social or behavioural problems , which in turn affect child’s academic performance. The ability to communicate with peers and adults in the educational setting is essential for a student to succeed in school. 

How will a speech language disorder affect school performance?

Children with communication disorders frequently do not perform at grade level and may struggle with reading, have difficulty understanding and expressing language, misunderstand social cues, avoid attending school, show poor judgment, and struggle with test taking. Difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, or writing will lead to problems in production, comprehension, and awareness of language sounds, syllables, words, sentences, and conversations. Reading and writing problems will also lead way to problems with communication, thinking, and learning.

 What is the average therapy frequency and duration?

Average therapy frequency is 1 time per week for a duration of 1 hour.  Select clients receive higher therapy frequency and lower therapy duration; still others come in on biweekly or monthly basis to maintain skill level/abilities.

What are the red flags that mean a child might need assistance in developing speech and language?

 “Red flags” for speech and language development are signs that a child might not be developing like his/her peers. Some “red flags,” for speech or language delay include:

• The child does not respond to his/her surroundings in the usual way.
• The child does not play with peers or toys in ways that other kids his/her age do.
• The child does not use a variety of sounds or words.
• The child does not understand (or respond) when he/she is asked a question.
• The child does not follow instructions.
• The child does not use words to tell adults what he/she needs.
• Instead, lots of gestures or even tantrums are used.

If a child is showing any of these “red flags,” contact a Speech-Language Pathologist.

What is a receptive language disorder?

Receptive language disorder means the child has difficulties with understanding what is said to them. The symptoms vary between individuals but, generally, problems with language comprehension usually begin before the age of four years.In most cases the child also has an expressive language disorder, which means they have trouble using spoken language.

What is an expressive language disorder?

Expressive language includes the skills involved in communicating one’s thoughts and feelings to others. An expressive language disorder concerns difficultly with verbal expression.Expressive language disorder affects work and schooling in many ways. It is usually treated by specific speech therapy, and usually cannot be expected to go away on its own.

What are motor speech disorders?

Motor speech disorders can make it very difficult for individuals to clearly and effectively express themselves, which can be very frustrating. People with motor speech disorders know what they want to say, but cannot get it out. The two types of motor speech disorders are:

• Dysarthria:  This is when the muscles of the mouth, face, and respiratory system may become weak, move slowly, or not move at all. Sometimes people refer to dysarthric speech as “slurred” speech.
• Apraxia:  People with apraxia of speech have trouble sequencing the sounds in syllables and words. Sometimes a person cannot say a word, and then later they can say the same word without any difficulty. People with apraxia have problems imitating words but often can produce “automatic speech” without any problem (for example, saying “hello”, “I’m fine”, “OK”, etc.)

What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is a language disorder, usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain. There are different types of aphasia that affect people in various ways. Aphasia can make it difficult for a person to understand spoken or written information. It can also affect a person’s ability to speak or write. Sometimes an individual can have impairments in all of these areas to some degree. The different types of aphasia are known as global, Broca’s, transcortical motor, conduction, anomic, transcortical sensory and Wernicke’s aphasia.

What is a voice disorder?

Voice is the sound produced by vibration of the vocal cords (vocal folds) in the larynx (voice box). A voice disorder occurs when the vocal folds do not vibrate effectively to produce a clear sound.

What are the Common Causes of voice disorders?

Causes of voice disorders can include abuse or misuse of the voice, such as yelling, excessive throat clearing, or speaking too loudly. These types of behaviours result in excessive hard closure of the vocal folds causing blister-like bruises that can harden into callous-like lesions called vocal fold nodules. Other causes of voice disorders can include Laryngo -Pharyngeal Reflux (excessive stomach acid backing into the larynx), vocal fold polyps, vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold cysts, etc.