Evaluation & Diagnosis
What is a Speech Disorder?
A speech disorder refers to a difficulty in the production of sounds. Speech Disorders can be an articulation disorder, fluency disorder or a voice disorder.
Articulation disorders: a difficulty in the actual production of a sound or syllable. It includes saying a word incorrectly to the point that a child is not understood by the listener.
Fluency disorders: encompass problems with the flow of speech, such as stuttering, wherein speech is disrupted by abnormal interruptions blocking airflow, or part word repetitions, or prolonging sounds and syllables.
Voice disorders: refer to problems with the resonance, pitch, volume or overall quality of the voice.
What is a Language Disorder?
A Language Disorder can be either a receptive disorder in which a child has difficulty understanding or processing language or an expressive disorder in which a child experiences difficulty putting thoughts into words to express an idea.
What is an Auditory Processing Disorder?
Auditory processing deficits generally refer to specific difficulties in the neural processing of the speech signal and how well the central nervous system uses the auditory information received. It is a confusing term, since many disorders, such as ADD, Autism, higher-order cognitive or language disorders, can affect one’s ability to understand what is heard. The actual diagnosis must be made by an audiologist.
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What is a Language-Based Learning Disability?
Literacy skills are more than learning to read and write. There are strong theoretical and clinical connections between language development, literacy and academic success. Learning is heavily rooted in both receptive language skills and oral language skills. The relationship between spoken language proficiency and the development of print literacy is well documented. They interact in a two -way fashion with one another. To succeed in the acquisition of and development of written language, a student performs best with a solid spoken language system.
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What is Autism?
Autism, or autism spectrum disorders, encompasses a range of challenges that impact social, verbal and nonverbal communication problems. A child with this developmental disability may demonstrate a wide variety of characteristics including, repetitive patterns of behavior, restricted interests or unique interests, or difficulty understanding another person’s perspective and having a shared focus. The problems experienced vary from child to child and the problems may be mild to severe.
Next steps: You do not need to wait for an autism diagnosis to access services. Call to set up speech /language therapy now and begin addressing early developmental delays.
What is a Social Communication Disorder?
Social language skills or pragmatic language skills refer to one’s ability to use language for varying purposes (greeting, requesting, informing, etc.); to change language to meet the needs of the listener, and to follow the rules for conversation and telling stories. The child may have trouble with either or both verbal and non-verbal communication skills. These skills may include difficulty with taking turns in play or conversation, using gestures, standing too close to another person, maintaining a topic, responding to a question with a relevant idea.
Next Steps
Call to set up a screening or evaluation to determine if your child is demonstrating average skills for their age, or a delay in speech production.