Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is an intervention service that focuses on improving a child’s speech skills, and understanding and/or expressing language skills including nonverbal language. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are the professionals who provide these services. Speech therapy includes five main components. These areas include morphology/words (the structure of words and the construction of word forms), phonology/sounds (the sound system of a language), semantics/vocabulary (the system that governs word meanings), syntax/grammar (the order and combination of words to form sentences), and pragmatics/social skills (using language functionally and socially). Additionally, speech therapy also includes the assessment and treatment of feeding/swallowing disorders.

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a highly-trained professional who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children and adults who have difficulty with speech, language or feeding difficulties. Although people often think of speech and language as the same thing, the terms actually mean different things. If your child has trouble with speech, he/she struggles with the “how-to” of talking which involves the coordination of the muscles and movements necessary to produce speech. For example, saying ‘poon’ for ‘spoon’, ‘wabbit’ for ‘rabbit’, or ‘nana’ for ‘banana’. If your child has trouble with language, he/she struggles with understanding what he/she hears or sees including difficulties following directions or understanding words like “under, in, on”. Your child may struggle to find the right words and/or organize those words in a meaningful way to communicate a message or hold a conversation. For example, saying ‘Me want eat’ instead of ‘I want to eat’. 

 

An SLP also evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty feeding/swallowing food or liquid. An SLP will help identify what part of the feeding/swallowing process is making it difficult for your child to eat including chewing, manipulating food with their tongue, coordinating mouth and throat structures and muscles, or breathing appropriately while eating.

 

For information on how to get started, please call us at (786) 717-5649

Speech-language pathologists, as defined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), are professionals who hold the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP), which requires observational hours, direct patient-contact hours, a master’s project or thesis project, and requires a master’s, doctoral, or other recognized post-baccalaureate degree in Speech-Language Pathology. ASHA-certified SLPs complete a supervised postgraduate professional experience referred to as a Clinical Fellowship and pass a national board examination as described in the ASHA certification standards. After certification, demonstration of continued professional development courses are mandated for the maintenance of the CCC-SLP certification and state licensure. SLPs hold other required credentials including state licensure issued by the Florida Department of Health Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.

At Exceptional Speech Therapy, all of our SLPs meet or exceed the requirements to practice speech-language pathology in the state of Florida.

Some children that may benefit from speech therapy may or may not have diagnoses that would include, but are not limited to:

– Autism Spectrum Disorder/Asperger’s

– Cerebral Palsy

– Down Syndrome

– Genetic Disorders

– Hearing Loss

– “Late Talkers”

– Spina Bifida

– Articulation Disorders

– Language Delay or Disorders

– Dysphagia

– Voice Disorders

– Stuttering

 

For information on how to get started, please call us at (786) 717-5649

 

 

For more information on adult therapy please CLICK HERE.