SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
Speech-Language Therapists (SLTs) assess and treat people of all ages to help them with their communication and swallowing difficulties.
SLTs will consider how these difficulties impact on one’s life and support his or her ability to function independently in society. They work in a variety of settings including hospitals, schools and nursing homes.
At Sound Ways, we specialise in working with children with:
- Speech/articulation errors
- Receptive and expressive language difficulties
- Reading difficulties and dyslexia (often with underlying language difficulties)
SPEECH
Worried that your child isn't speaking as clearly as his or her peers? Children develop different sounds at various ages. Refer to the milestone chart below to see if your child is developing his or her sounds accordingly.
LANGUAGE
Feel that your child is only speaking in a few words while his or her peers are already engaging in conversations? Does your child jumble up his or her words in a sentence? Difficulties with grammar despite multiple corrections?
During our language assessment we will be looking at 2 main areas:
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Receptive language (understanding)
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Expressive language (ways we communicate our thoughts)
STUTTERING
Stuttering is where the flow of speech is disrupted. It can present in various forms. Some examples include:
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"I...I...I want milk" (repeats the whole word)
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"Ju..ju..juice" (repeats part of the word)
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"Where is the rrrrrabbit?" (prolonging the word)
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Blocks (word seems 'stuck'/child unable to get the word out)
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Lots of 'urms' and 'ahs' within a sentence
Some children experience natural recovery without any intervention. However currently we are unable to tell who would recover naturally or require treatment. Stuttering can persist into adulthood if untreated.
We use the research-based stuttering treatment program for preschoolers called the Lidcombe Program.
VOICE
Is your child's speech intelligibilty impacted by his/her voice quality?
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Croaky
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Hoarse/Husky
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Hyponasal/Hypernasal
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Strained
If you have any of the above concerns for your child, do contact us to find out more.