Speech-Language Pathology
Speech-Language Pathology
A pediatric speech-language pathologist (SLP) assesses a child's speech clarity, vocabulary, sentence structure, and social language abilities and uses a variety of standardized and informal assessment tools to determine if the child has specific speech or language impairments. This information is gathered along with observations of the child, parent interview, and information from the referring physician or agency, to determine a diagnosis and then, if necessary, provide suggestions for interventions to improve the child's speech and language skills. The SLP sets goals for speech and language skills based on what is known about typical language in children. At times the intervention is very structured and at other times the SLP follows the child's interests and uses more indirect methods of facilitating language. We stress real communication so the child is communicating for a reason, not just imitating or repeating words.
Speech and language is more than the words a child uses and begins far earlier than when we see a child use his or her first word. Infants communicate through smiles and sounds, and are already building intentional communication by the time they are 9 months old; not in words yet but through looks, gaze, and sounds.
When we assess a child's communication, we look at what the child is doing and compare that with what typically developing children are doing at that age in a number of areas. When we evaluate children, we may assess their ability to understand and use language, the clarity and fluency of their speech, and how they use language including gestures, socially.
Children have many other communication problems such as stuttering and voice problems and a SLP is trained to evaluate and provide treatment for children with those disabilities as well. A SLP is also part of the team who assesses feeding and swallowing issues in children and provides intervention. Some children, especially in the preschool years, cannot use verbal communication and we often provide families with alternative ways of helping the child communicate such as pictures and sign. Those methods do not stop a child from talking but instead help the child develop intentional and complex non-word communication.
Speech-language pathologists work in schools, early intervention settings, clinics and hospitals, and in private practice. The Hello Clinic is a group of SLPs and occupational therapists who provide individual and group treatment for children with a wide range of communication issues.
Parents can contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for referral information and for publications about speech and language development.
ASHA can be contacted at 1-800-638-8255 or on the web at www.asha.org for that information.
Resources & Related Sites
Resources & Related Sites
An Article by Dr. G. Robert Buckendorf
ASHA is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 123,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists.
OSHA is recognized as the official professional organization for Oregon speech-language pathologists and audiologists by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
The Help Autism Now Society (HANS) was founded in 2002 by a physician and nurse, Paul and Linda, parents of a child severely affected with autism from birth. Despite over 40 years of combined medical experience they discovered that they had not received any training in autism. As a result they decided to develop a program that would greatly facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of autism, so that families would not suffer needlessly as a result of delayed diagnosis
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and supports research in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.
An article from Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics
An article from Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics
The Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology licenses and regulates the performance of speech-language pathologists and audiologists for consumer protection in Oregon.
Fun Learning Materials for Kids!
Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp is home to the happiest campers! Every summer, our Eastern Oregon camp site becomes home to children with speech, hearing, and language disorders.
Expert advice on learning the English language. Whether you're learning English as a second language or helping your children learn English, you'll find expert advice here on: pronunciation, grammar, punctuation and how to communicate in English.