Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and language therapy is done to help your child improve his or her skills to an age-appropriate level. Therapy is based on the information derived from a speech, language and social communication evaluation and is completely individualized to your child’s needs. Your child may be working on improving speech so others better understand your child, improving comprehension of information or learning to better express themselves. Goals are selected to help achieve success through a carefully designed sequence of activities. Your child learns new skills that can help change the behavior that interferes with normal communication and learning. At times, children must re-learn skills that were lost due to an accident or injury. Children learn best in a warm, supportive environment that uses hands-on activities, games and rewards.

How Much Therapy Will My Child Need?

The length and amount of therapy depends on the child’s age and the nature of the problem. The severity of the communication problem is an important factor as well. Most commonly, young children are seen twice weekly for thirty minute sessions. As the child gets older, one session weekly may be adequate. Consultation with the speech language pathologist is recommended to determine what will be most beneficial for the child. Certain types of speech disorders do require more intense intervention. The more serious the disorder, the longer therapy generally takes. Therapy is a process and some children make immediate improvement while others show slow, steady improvement. Every child is different so the rate and pattern of progress is completely dependent on the child.

Are Parents Involved In Therapy?

Parental involvement in the therapy process is highly encouraged. The speech language pathologist consults with parents on an ongoing basis in regard to their child’s progress. Parents are often given a simple activity or homework to complete prior to the next therapy session. Parental training of techniques used in therapy can improve a child’s overall success and allow the child to continue practicing the skills learned in therapy outside the treatment sessions.