Speech Pathology – Audiology & Speech

Speech Language Pathology

We take an individualized approach to speech and language treatment. With years of expertise and a passion for our patients, we help you overcome speech and language issues with the very best treatments available. All of our therapy is conducted individually, ensuring that your needs are addressed quickly and directly. With vast experience, we treat a wide range of goals and diagnoses, including:

Cute child little boy at speech therapist office

Apraxia

Articulation Disorders

Asperger’s/Autism Spectrum Disorders

Auditory Processing Disorders

Aphasia

Language Comprehension & Expression

Literacy Oral Sensory/Motor & Feeding

Speech and Language: The Basics

When first learning about speech and language, it’s important to define some basic terms. Many people use the words speech, language, and communication somewhat interchangeably. Speech-language therapists and audiologists, however, mean something very specific when using these three words. Luckily, the definitions of the words are really very easy to understand.

Communication

Communication is the broadest and most encompassing of these three terms. Communication occurs any time a message is somehow conveyed from one person to another. Communication can take place in a wide variety of ways. The most obvious form of communication is verbal speech—when we are talking to someone, we are clearly communicating a message to them (as long as they are listening to us, that is!). But communication can also be nonverbal, such as when you shrug your shoulders to indicate confusion, or shake your head to indicate displeasure, or use your best motherly stare from across the room to convey to your five-year old that he had better use his manners. In fact, much of communication is nonverbal; some studies have shown that even when we are directly speaking with someone, the words we choose account for less than 10% of the overall message, while body language and vocal intonation make up the rest.

Language

Language is one very specific way of communicating with others. Language involves using a consistent and agreed upon set of symbols to convey a message to another person who understands what those specific and pre-defined symbols mean. We generally call those pre-defined sets of symbols “words” and we put the words together in a pre-defined and commonly agreed upon way to create sentences. Each language has their own set of words (“vocabulary” or “semantics”) and their own rules for putting those words together into sentences (“grammar” or “syntax”). Language can take a variety of forms: it can be spoken, written, signed, or beeped (think: Morse code).

It can also be further divided into two, more specific, categories:

Receptive Language, which is our ability to understand words and sentences that are spoken (or signed, or written) to us, and
Expressive Language, which is our ability to use words and sentences to effectively communicate our message to others.

Speech

Finally, speech is the most specific and narrowly defined term. Speech occurs when we use verbal words to communicate with others. It requires us to put individual speech sounds together into words and speak them to someone else. The process of doing this—of forming sounds with our mouth and shaping them into words, phrases and sentences—is called articulation. Speech also includes the ability to use our voice properly, without harshness or hoarseness, and the ability to speak fluently, without word or syllable repetitions.

Speech Sounds

The following sounds are usually the first to develop: vowels, p, m, h, n, w, b, t, d

The next sounds to develop are usually: k, g, f, v, “ng” (as in ring), and y (as in “yellow”)

Finally, the hardest speech sounds are generally: r, l, s, “ch,” “sh,” j, “th” and “zh” (as in the end of the word “garage”)

Candidates for Speech & Language Intervention

Children who are in need of speech and language intervention services may have difficulty with one, some, or all of these areas.

Contact our office if you suspect your child may be having communication difficulties.

Can't Express Basic Needs

A child who can’t express her basic needs to others—she might cry and tantrum, but is not be able to use words or even gestures to show her parents what she wants—is having difficulty with basic communication.

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Lack of Word Understanding

A little one who does not fully understand the words we say has difficulty with receptive language. For example, a child with a receptive language delay might not be able to follow simple directions, respond to her name, or find pictures in a book.

No Expressive Language

A toddler who understands everything you say and is really good at communicating through gestures and eye contact, but who doesn’t yet use any actual words, is having difficulty with expressive language.

Cute little boy at speech therapist session. Private one on one homeschooling.

Unintelligible Speech

A child who is talking a blue streak, using lots of words and sentences, but whose speech is not understood by others, is having difficulty with speech, or articulation.

Fluency Issues

A child who has lots of words, but who is struggling to speak without repeating words and syllables multiple times, is having difficulty with fluency.

Hoarse or Raspy Voice

A child who uses sentences, understands language well, and produces speech sounds well, but who has a habitually hoarse voice, might have a voice disorder.

Auditory Processing Program

Our exceptional, friendly staff is one of our greatest assets, and we are proud of their long time association with our office. Patients tell us often how well we work together as a team.

We pride ourselves on staying on the cutting edge of hearing healthcare and great patient communication. Each of our staff members is motivated to achieve the best results for our patients in a calming and comfortable setting.