Speech-Language Pathology
“Communication is the essence of human life.” – Janice Light
What is Speech-Language Pathology?
Speech-Language Pathology, also known as Speech Therapy, is a therapy service focused on improving a child’s speech and their abilities to understand and express language (including nonverbal language). This therapy focuses on preventing, identifying, evaluating, and treating speech, language, voice, feeding, and swallowing disorders in toddlers, children, adolescents, and adults.
At LSCTS, the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) will complete an assessment which will uncover the individual needs of your child. An assessment may include an interview with you and your child, completion of both formal and informal tests and questionnaires. Depending on your child’s needs, an assessment may range from 30 minutes (to screen speech and language skills) to several hours (to complete a full language – learning assessment).
The SLP will determine if therapy is necessary and create a support plan for the child. This plan will outline goals, frequency and duration of the therapy sessions. The family and the SLP will decide if the support plan will be carried out by the SLP or the Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA).
Current research supports the view that play based therapy for children under the age of 6 is the most beneficial. To target a child’s communication goals, the therapist will engage the child in play that targets functional use of language in the most natural way possible.
As part of the treatment process, the SLP will provide strategies in the form of handouts and materials for the home environment. These strategies would encourage the development of their specific communication goals.
What can Speech-Language Therapy Help With?
We assist children of all ages from toddlers to teens. Common communication challenges include:
- Speech sounds—how we say sounds and put sounds together into words. Other words for these problems are articulation or phonological disorders, apraxia of speech, or dysarthria.
- Language—how well we understand what we hear or read and how we use words to tell others what we are thinking. In adults this problem may be called aphasia.
- Literacy—how well we read and write. People with speech and language disorders may also have trouble reading, spelling, and writing.
- Social communication—how well we follow rules, like taking turns, how to talk to different people, or how close to stand to someone when talking. This is also called pragmatics.
- Voice—how our voices sound. We may sound hoarse, lose our voices easily, talk too loudly or through our noses, or be unable to make sounds.
- Fluency—also called stuttering, is how well speech flows. Someone who stutters may repeat sounds, like t-t-t-table, use “um” or “uh,” or pause a lot when talking. Many young children will go through a time when they stutter, but most outgrow it.
- Cognitive-communication—how well our minds work. Problems may involve memory, attention, problem solving, organization, and other thinking skills.
Content courtesy of American Speech and Hearing Association (asha.org)
SLP or CDA – What is the Difference?
What is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)?
Speech Language Pathologists (SLP’s) in Ontario are licensed, registered professionals who are able to assess, diagnose and treat communication based disorders. In Ontario, this requires a Master’s level degree, as well as registration with the College of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology of Ontario (CASLPO).
Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA’s) are
CDA’s are trained to provide individualized treatment under the supervision of a licensed SLP. CDA’s can provide individual or group therapy sessions for a variety of different communication needs in children and adults. CDA’s have a post-graduate diploma in Communicative Disorders.
Who is Speech-Language Therapy For
Speech-Language Therapy is for children who have difficulties with their speech and language skills. These difficulties can be due to motor or cognitive delays. Our therapists can work with children from toddlers to 18 years of age. Speech Language Therapy is suitable for children that struggle with weak oral muscles, hoarseness of voice, articulation problems, stuttering, fluency problems, language processing, selective mutism, those who are non-verbal, problems with literacy and much more.
Fee Schedule for Speech-Language Therapy
Please review the fees for the selected services. Prices are subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing information, visit the “How it Works” page or our online booking site.
Language Assessment (7-18 yrs) - includes report
Language Assessment (2-6 yrs) - includes report
Preschool Assessment (0-2 yrs) - includes report
Articulation Assessment - includes report
Treatment Sessions (SLP), 1 hour
Treatment Sessions (SLP), 45 minutes
Treatment Sessions (CDA), 1 hour
Treatment Sessions (CDA), 45 minutes
Goal Update Session (SLP Only) - includes Goal Sheet
Intake
It begins with a conversation. You may know what services you are looking for, or may want to talk that through with someone who can guide you. Coming into our clinic begins with a call to our Administration staff to schedule your first appointment with a therapist. This first appointment may be a consultation where we collect relevant history and the details related to your most pressing concerns. The first appointment may also involve an assessment, where we are using standardized testing to inform next steps and recommendations.
Support Plan Development
Following the consultation/assessment appointment, the therapist will use the information gathered, and with the caregiver’s input, build a mutually agreed upon support plan. This may include goals for individual therapy sessions, further additional assessments, and guiding recommendations.
Therapy Sessions
Therapy sessions include the therapist, the child and the caregiver. Caregivers are encouraged to join in their child’s therapy sessions to observe the progress their child has made, to understand the activities and the desired outcome, and to learn how what happens in the therapy session can translate to the home setting. These sessions are also important in building rapport between your child, yourself and the therapist, as this is how we get to know you better and shape our sessions to meet your child’s individual needs.
Review and Next Steps
Once several therapy sessions have taken place, and the child has met their goals as laid out in their support plan, your therapist will meet with you to discuss next steps. This time of reassessment is an opportunity to celebrate the gains that have happened through therapy and determine what next steps are recommended to take place. This may include adjusting the support plan and carrying on with therapy sessions, or perhaps referring to an additional discipline to assist in reaching some new objectives, or celebrating the end of therapy sessions and your child reaching their goals!
Our Process
Here at LSCTS, our process can be boiled down to four essential steps. Our process ensures that our team follows best practices for each child and their families, every single time. Although we follow a standard process, the help and care that your child receives will be as unique as they are.
Read our most Frequently Asked Questions
Starting on your child’s therapy journey can be confusing at times. So we’ve put together some of the most frequently asked questions to help you easily navigate your journey here at LSCTS.
Why is my child not talking?
Did you know that 15% of all children are considered late talkers? A late talker has mastered 50 words or less by age 2 and cannot combine words together. I.e., more bubbles (will say “more” or “bubbles” but will not say them together). There is no single explanation for a child to be a late talker. Some late talkers can acquire language without therapy but it is recommended that all language delayed children receive speech therapy to help facilitate their language development.
How does playing in therapy help with my child’s language skills?
Although therapy may look like simply playing, it is the best and most common approach to stimulate your child’s language development. Firstly, it ensures that the child is excited to come back to therapy and participate with the therapist during the session. Secondly, speech therapists are adept at targeting set goals while the child plays, they are learning without even realizing it! Lastly, since play and language skills develop in tandem, we often play during speech therapy sessions to encourage language.
How much of my child’s speech should others be able to understand at this age?
Typically, a child should be 95-100% intelligible to unfamiliar people by age 4. For younger children, unfamiliar people should be able to understand approximately 25% of their speech by age 1, 50% of speech by age 2, and 75% of speech by age 3.
How long will my child need therapy? How many sessions will we do per week?
The number of sessions will depend on a variety of factors. For example, a child with an articulation disorder may require 10-15 sessions depending on the severity of the issue. The number of sessions and frequency of sessions will be recommended by the SLP following an assessment.
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