What is speech therapy?
Speech therapy is the evaluation and treatment of communication, speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders in infants, children, and adolescents. We help children develop the skills they need to communicate effectively and participate successfully at home, school, and in their community.
Who would benefit from speech therapy?
Any toddler, child, or adolescent who is struggling to follow directions, being understood by parents, teachers, or peers, having difficulty expressing thoughts or even requesting preferred items, becoming frustrated due to not having any functional communication, or difficulty in social situations. No child is too young to learn that communication is powerful and builds connections!
“To communicate is truly a gift. It is a wondrous ability … that allows us to connect with other humans and give meaning to our lives.”
— Kathleen Depperschmidt, The Tip of Your Tongue
What does a speech evaluation look like?
During the evaluation, the speech-language pathologist will:
- Talk with you about your child’s history, including developmental milestones, medical history, educational background, and any concerns you have about communication.
- Observe your child during play, conversation, or structured activities to see how they communicate naturally.
- Assess speech sound production to determine if your child is producing sounds clearly and appropriately for their age.
- Evaluate language skills, including how well your child understands language (receptive language) and expresses thoughts, ideas, and needs (expressive language).
- Examine social communication skills, such as eye contact, turn-taking, conversational skills, and understanding social cues, when appropriate.
- Assess fluency if there are concerns about stuttering or disruptions in speech.
- Evaluate voice quality if there are concerns about pitch, loudness, or vocal quality
- Observe oral motor skills, including the strength, coordination, and movement of the lips, tongue, jaw, and palate as they relate to speech and feeding, when indicated.
- Use standardized tests and informal activities that are appropriate for your child’s age and developmental level. These may include games, puzzles, pictures, books, conversation, and play based tasks.
After the evaluation, the speech-language pathologist will review the results with you, explain your child’s strengths and any areas of concern, answer your questions, and discuss recommendations. If speech therapy is recommended, an individualized treatment plan with specific goals will be developed to support your child’s communication skills.
Our goal is to make the evaluation a positive, engaging experience while gathering the information needed to help your child communicate with confidence.
What types of speech and language challenges do we treat?
- Articulation/speech sound disorders
- Language delays
- Expressive and receptive language difficulties
- Social communication skills
- Fluency/stuttering
- Childhood apraxia of speech
- Communication difficulties related to developmental differences
Insurance / Scheduling Questions
All NC Medicaid MCO’s, Aetna, BCBS, and private pay are accepted
Every Child Has Something to Say. Let’s Help Them Be Heard.
If you have concerns about your child’s speech, language, or communication skills, we’re here to help. Schedule an evaluation to learn more about your child’s strengths and how speech therapy may help.