Specialties
“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn. ”
- O. Fred Donaldson
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Causes: genetic and neurological differences.
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Approximately 5% of children will experience an episode of stuttering.
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Stuttering often starts in childhood, around age 2-5.
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There are often negative emotions related to stuttering, such as shame, guilt, embarrassment, and frustration.
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Stuttering might sound like repetitions of syllables and/or sounds, prolongations, blocks before or in between words
Stuttering
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Someone with apraxia of speech might not be able to move their lips or tongue in the right ways, even though their muscles are not weak.
Signs Include:
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Trouble putting sounds and syllables together
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Varying tones and rhythms during speaking
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Producing the same word differently every time
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Groping movements of the jaw, lips, or tongue when speaking
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Vowel Distortions in speech
Autism Spectrum Disorder
A speech therapist can help you better understand your child and promote communication by helping them:
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Respond to their name
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Understand body language
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Understand social cues
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Understand abstract language
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Initiate conversations
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Maintain joint attention
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Participate in urn-taking during play
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Engage in play
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Understand emotions
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Use gestures or non-verbal language
Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs)
OMDs in children can be caused by tongue tie, buccal (i.e. cheeks) tie, enlarged adenoids and tonsils, a high-arch/ narrow palate, and more.
Symptoms of OMDs include :
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Errors producing speech sounds: /s, z, t, d, n, l, r, sh, ch, j, th/
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Chronic open mouth breathing
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Snoring
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Food aversions
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Night terrors or frequent bed wetting
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Picky eating
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Hyperactivity or chronic fatigue
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Infant feeding/latching difficulties
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Somatic techniques
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Multimodal sensory stimulation
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PROMPT
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Dynamic temporal and tactile cueing (DTTC)
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Child-led therapy
Tools We Use:
Pediatric Language
Pediatric language can include one or more of the following:
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Using correct grammar
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Increasing sentence length
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Understanding and using age-appropriate vocabulary
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Asking "wh" (who, what, where, when) questions.
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Sequencing and describing images, stories, or events
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Understanding and responding to questions