Pediatric Services

Our family-oriented clinic specializes in the following

Autism Spectrum Disorder/Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Speech therapy for nonverbal and pre-verbal children targets communication intent by implementing visual systems that support verbal skills such as using the Picture Exchange communication System. For more verbal children, structured play-based language programs target auditory processing skills, using social exchanges, and answering complex questions.

Apraxia

Apraxia is a diagnostic term, which involves difficulty with retrieval, coordination and planning required for speech. Our office uses a holistic approach utilizing oral motor techniques such as TalkTools and the PROMPT method to obtain oral placement and verbal sound production of words.

Genetic Syndromes

Syndromes vary significantly in regard to severity and are specific to each type and may present itself in oral motor deficits and language delays. To improve communication often sign language is used as verbal speech develops.

Oral Motor/Feeding Deficits

Oral Motor deficits may affect Speech and Feeding Skills. Signs of oral motor deficits include hyper or hyposensitivity to touch. Children may avoid oral activities such as brushing teeth or they may seek oral input by mouthing objects. Therapy programs target improving lips and jaw stability and coordination.

Social Skill Deficits

Learning and generalizing social skills in small groups is imperative for school-age children. Learning to make eye contact, taking-turns, improving oral motor and motor planning skills are all benefits of this program. Understanding and reading nonverbal communication and pragmatic skills is also targeted.

Articulation and Phonological Disorders

Many articulation errors are developmental in nature. However; a disorder occurs when a child produces the sound incorrectly in words. Phonology is the sound system of language and it tell us "how" sounds fit together in words. Children who have phonological disorders have not learned these rules of how sounds fit together and therefore speech intelligibility may be affected. Therapy programs target awareness (auditory bombardment) of sounds and the Hodson "cycling" approach targeting specific processes at a time in a systematic manner.

Central Auditory Processing Disorders

The inability to understand spoken language in a meaningful way in the absence of a hearing loss or understanding of vocabulary is called a central auditory processing problem. A SLP can evaluate a child's perception of speech and his/her receptive understanding and expressive language use in these areas. Frank Musiek, audiologist and researcher in this area, has described central auditory processing as, "How well the ear talks to the brain, and how well the brain understands what the ear tells it"

In addition we treat disorders of:

• Feeding/Swallowing Disorders (Talk Tools feeding approach used)
• Neurological Disorders
• Fluency
• Language Delays/Disorders

Feeding Disorder

Symptoms may include extreme food selectivity, refusal, failure to thrive, oral aversion or reoccurring pneumonia. Anatomic or functional disorders that make feeding difficult or uncomfortable for the child may result in a learned aversion to eating even after the underlying disorder is corrected.

Food chaining© is a therapy program that uses foods as desensitization and/or as therapy tools in treatment (cheriandlaura.blogspot.com/). Techniques from "Food Chaining" as well as TalkTools are utilized in the treatment of feeding disorders.