Speech Language Therapy for Children

In speech-language therapy, an SLP will work with a child one-on-one, or in a small group, or directly in a classroom to overcome difficulties involved with a specific disorder.

Therapists use a variety of strategies, including:

• Language intervention activities
• Articulation therapy
• Oral-motor/feeding and swallowing therapy

When Is Therapy Needed?

• Hearing Impairments
• Cognitive (intellectual, thinking) or Other Developmental Delays
• Weak Oral Muscles
• Chronic Hoarseness
• Birth Defects such as Cleft Lip or Cleft Palate
• Autism
• Motor Planning Problems
• Articulation Problems
• Fluency Disorders
• Respiratory Problems (breathing disorders)
• Feeding and Swallowing Disorders
• Traumatic Brain Injury

Therapy should begin as soon as possible. Children enrolled in therapy early (before they’re 5 years old) tend to have better outcomes than those who begin therapy later. This does not mean that older kids can’t make progress in therapy; they may progress at a slower rate because they often have learned patterns that need to be changed.

Resources:

• 3 Ways to Support Child Language Learning
• Things Parents Can Do to Stimulate Language Development