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Frequently Asked Questions 

What is a Speech Language Pathologist ?

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A Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), also known as Speech Therapist, is a licensed specialist who assesses and treats children through adults with communication and swallowing concerns. Speech Language Pathologists are required to attend a specialized graduate or doctoral school program and complete both class work and hands on internship/externship clinical experiences. Most SLP’s are certified through the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and have received their Certificate of Clinical Competence. The Certificate of Clinical Competence or CCC is an internationally recognized professional credential given by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Council for Clinical Certification. Prior to qualifying for CCC’s, a clinical fellow speech language pathologist must provide therapeutic intervention for a minimum of 400 hours under the supervision of a licensed CCC SLP.

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What is a Speech and Language Evaluation?

A speech and language evaluation may be  recommended by a family, doctor, teacher, and/or  related service provider (e.g. occupational therapist, physical therapist) who has concerns related to child’s communication.  These concerns may include but are not limited to receptive and expressive language, social (pragmatic) skills, and/or oral motor/feeding difficulties.  

 

The comprehensive evaluation, the speech language pathologist will  assess, describe, and interpret a child’s individual communication skills.  During the evaluation, a case history will be taken during a family interview. The case history is used to determine specific questions and concerns.   Any information from a teacher, school/daycare or other  related service providers (e.g. occupational therapist, physical therapist) will be reviewed and considered at the families descretion.  

 

Standardized and non-standardized measures along with behavioral observations will be utilized during the assessment and to establish recommendations.  A standardized evaluation is a criterion-referenced tool to compare children with their peers.  The standardized evaluation will be chosen based on the child’s age, difficulties, and concerns.  The behavioral observation is used to determine the  child’s skills in a naturalistic and more comfortable setting. All of the chosen assessment protocols will be culturally and linguistically appropriate for the child.   The collected data will be scored and reviewed to establish a baseline of skills and assess the child’s current level of functioning. Parental input and report is always valued and considered, as a child may not demonstrate their true level or ability during the assessment time.  Follow-up recommendations related to communication and oral motor/feeding status will be made and reviewed with the family.    All results are confidential and only shared with the direct family members who are listed on the in-take form.  

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We evaluate babies through high school students. 

*Components referenced from the American Speech and Hearing Association, ASHA 2023

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What is a Speech and Language therapy? 

Speech is the communication of sounds; how we say words and sounds.  Session that target speech may include fluency (e.g. stuttering), articulation (e.g. production of sounds), and voice (vocal quality) therapy.

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Language is the ability to understand, and share ideas using written, spoken, and/or non-verbal language.  Language therapy targets the development of receptive and expressive language skills, play skills, and social skills (pragmatics). 

 

Sessions that target language include but are not limited to the following:

  • asking/answering WH questions

  •  determining and describing relationships between objects/concepts

  • demonstrating understanding of and using concepts (spatial, temporal, qualitative, quantitative) 

  • formulating logical and descriptive sentences 

  • auditory and reading comprehension

  • strengthening  vocabulary (synonyms, antonyms, homophones, etc.)

  •  using unspoken rules of social interactions to communicate politely and effectively

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