For Ages 3 years and older
Language is essential for proper communication. The inability to express thoughts and feelings or interpret those of others can lead to academic and social challenges.
Speech and language difficulties come in many forms. Maybe your child’s words can’t be understood, or they don’t have the language to express their needs. The first step in setting your child on the right path is finding out if there is a problem.
Our experienced speech-language pathologist will meet with your child and determine which (if any) speech or language issues are present. She will also provide a plan for improving your child’s communication skills to set them on the right track!
Speech Sound Disorders
Articulation & Phonological Evaluation
Articulation and phonological disorders are common speech disorders that affect children's ability to pronounce and organize sounds correctly. These disorders can have significant impacts on a child's communication skills and social interactions.
Articulation disorders involve difficulties with individual speech sounds, while phonological disorders pertain to difficulties with sound patterns and rules within a language. For instance, a child may say “tu” for shoe or “fit” or fish.
Our speech–language pathologist will provide a clinical assessment of your child’s articulation and phonology. A report will be provided outlining recommendations to help.
$450 (Up to 3 hours Including Evaluation and Report)
Language Disorders & Delays
Language disorders impact a child’s ability to build vocabulary, comprehend information when listening to others, formulate sentences, and express and organize thoughts. Language disorders may also affect a child’s ability to read, write or spell, and may appear when a child struggles to understand emotions, facial expressions, or interact appropriately with others.
A language disorder is diagnosed when a child comprehends or communicates using language at a level that is less developed than expected for his/her age. A language disorder is different than a language delay. With delayed language, a child develops language in the same way as other children, but later. In a language disorder, language does not develop normally. The child may have some language skills, but not others. Or the way in which these skills develop may be different than usual.
Pragmatic (Social) Language Evaluation
Pragmatic language refers to the social use of language. It encompasses various components, including:
- Using language for different purposes (e.g., requesting, informing, greeting)
- Changing language according to the needs of the listener or situation
- Following rules for conversations and storytelling
- Understanding and using nonverbal cues (e.g., body language, facial expressions)
- Understanding and using the social rules of communication (e.g., taking turns, staying on topic)
Children with pragmatic language difficulties may struggle with:
- Taking turns in conversations
- Understanding and using nonverbal cues
- Interpreting sarcasm and idiomatic expressions
- Initiating and maintaining conversations
- Following social rules of communication
Pragmatic language is critical for adequate communication and for understanding the conversations around you. It is pragmatic language (language in social context) that helps you comprehend not only what is said, but why it is said. Pragmatic language challenges can impact the ability to form friendships, participate in group activities, and succeed academically.
Our speech–language pathologist will provide a comprehensive assessment of your child’s pragmatic language skills.
$450 (Up to 3 hours Including Evaluation and Report)
Receptive/Expressive Language Evaluation
Language refers to the words we use and how we use them to share ideas and advocate for our needs. Having difficulty understanding what others say can be the result of a receptive language disorder. Trouble expressing our thoughts, ideas, and feelings can indicate an expressive language disorder. Difficulty with understanding and expressing may indicate a mixed receptive and expressive disorder.
A child with a receptive language disorder has:
- Poor listening skills or comprehension
- Difficulty responding to questions
- Difficulty following directions (requiring clarification or repeated directions)
- Confusion when confronted with complex or lengthy sentences
- Requiring additional time to process information
- Difficulty understanding abstract language
A child with an expressive language disorder has:
- Limited vocabulary for the child’s age
- Grammar is inaccurate or below age level expectations
- Difficulty composing sentences (spoken, written)
- Difficulty organizing thoughts to tell a story
- Restricted ability to describe, define, or explain information or to retell an event
Our comprehensive evaluation will test for receptive, expressive, and mixed receptive and expressive disorders and delays.
$600 (Up to 4 hours Including Evaluation and Report)
Auditory Processing of Language Evaluation
Auditory processing is how your brain processes the speech sounds your ear is hearing. Children with APD, also known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), cannot process what they hear in the same way other children do although their hearing is normal.
When a child has an Auditory Processing Disorder, many areas of function can be affected. It may be hard to understand what is said, therefore the child will have difficulty following auditory directions. Children may also have difficulty answering questions, understanding conversations, understanding speech in noisy environments, distinguishing between speech sounds, auditory memory and recalling the order of sounds or words. It also may negatively affect the acquisition of phonics for reading and spelling skills.
Diagnosis of Auditory Processing Disorder is done through a combination of audiological and speech/language evaluations, and treatment is usually completed by the Speech-Language Pathologist.
$600 (Up to 4 hours Including Evaluation and Report)