Mrs. Arnsman's ECE Speech-Language Therapy

Speech-Language Therapy?

Speech-language therapy is the treatment of speech and/or language disorders. A speech disorder refers to difficulty with the production of speech sounds.  A language disorder refers to difficulty understanding/making sense of verbal information or putting words together to communicate ideas, wants, and needs.

Speech Disorders and Language Disorders

• Articulation Disorders include difficulty producing sounds in syllables, words, phrases, sentences, or connected speech making it difficult for other people to   understand what is being said.
• Fluency disorders include difficulty with the flow of speech resulting in abnormal stoppages, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds and syllables (know as stuttering).
• Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of a child's voice.  These types of disorders may cause pain or discomfort when the child speaks
• Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive in nature.
• Receptive language disorders refer to difficulties understanding verbal information or processing language.
• Expressive language disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, inability to use language in a social situations, or the inability to communicate wants, needs, or ideas in an efficient way.

Treatment:

Speech-language therapy involves having a speech-language therapist work with a child on a one-to-one basis, in a small group or directly in a classroom, to overcome difficulties involved with a specific disorder. Speech-language therapy uses a variety of therapeutic strategies, including:

• language intervention activities - These exercises involve having a speech-language specialist interact with a child by playing and talking to him/her. The therapist may use pictures, books, objects, or ongoing events to stimulate language development. The therapist may also model correct pronunciation and use repetition exercises to build speech and language skills.
• articulation therapy - Articulation, or sound production, exercises involve having the therapist model correct sounds and syllables for a child, often during play activities. The level of play is age-appropriate and related to the child's specific needs. Articulation therapy involves physically showing a child how to make certain sounds, such as the "g" sound. A speech-language therapist may demonstrate how a child should move his tongue to produce specific sounds.
• oral motor therapy - exercises involved in strengthening the articulators of the oral structure (tongue, lips, cheeks, etc.).