Speech Language Pathologists treat children who exhibit communication and swallowing deficits. Our primary goal is to help children who present with difficulties in the areas of speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing. Speech services are curriculum-based targeting pre-reading and literacy skills, phonemic awareness, sound/syllable manipulation, and auditory perceptual skills. Depending on the child’s current functioning level, services also focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing including organizational skills, grammar, and sentence structure. Articulation and pragmatic language skills are also addressed to improve the child’s ability to effectively communicate with family, peers and/or teachers. Our specialized programs include:
Prompt for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets is a dynamic approach for assessment and treatment of speech disorders. PROMPT technique provides tactile-kinesthetic input to the articulators (jaw, lips and tongue) in order to direct oral muscle movements necessary for speech production. PROMPT can be used to treat a variety of motor speech disorders.
The Lidcombe Program is an evidence-based treatment program for children who stutter. Based on simple operant conditioning and positive reinforcement, the child and his/her parent, along with the speech-language pathologist formulate a reward system for speaking smoothly. The therapist, the parent and, if possible, the child record data to document improvement and to determine therapeutic strategies. Current research supports the use of this treatment as being effective in increasing fluent speech.
Feeding therapy can help with a wide range of feeding and swallowing disorders and difficulties through consultations, assessments, and interventions. Therapy focuses on improving overall feeding and swallowing development. This intensive programming is individually tailored to accommodate the child’s needs and current skill level. Therapy focuses on working towards increasing food repertoire and oral eating as well as to provide support for the family.
Children with severe speech or language difficulties may need learn to communicate using augmentative and alternative devices. There are many types of AAC that can be used. Speech-language pathologists and/or Special Education teachers can assist in determining the appropriate device to meet the child’s individual needs.
Occupational therapists treat children who exhibit deficits in fine motor development, visual motor integration, sensory motor integration development, self-help, and regulation skills.
- Fine Motor Development requires the development of strength, postural control and bilateral integration abilities. Once these skills are developed, precise movements such as grasping and manipulating objects as well as self-help skills can be addressed.
- Visual Motor/Visual Perceptual skills involve spatial awareness and coordination of eye hand movements necessary for prewriting, cutting, and constructional tasks.
- Sensory Integration is the ability of the child to register and integrate information from the environment via their senses. Integration of sensory information is necessary for attention, body awareness, motor planning and regulation of alertness.
Physical therapists work on helping children progress through the developmental sequence from rolling, sitting, and crawling through standing, walking, sitting, and jumping. Children then learn how to use their gross motor skills to engage in ball play and navigate playground equipment. Physical Therapy may also focus on alleviating movement and postural dysfunction, as well as improving specific balance skills, overall body coordination, gait patterns, stair negotiation skills, quality of movement issues, motor control skills, and motor safety concerns.
- Motor Planning - Planning and coordinating movements of the arms, legs, head, and trunk in the right sequence and force to achieve a motor goal.
- Motor Control - Involving control of the muscles and resultant movement of the limbs and trunk.