Speech and language are different. A person can have difficulties with one or both.

What is speech? Speech is how we say sound and words.

Speech includes:

• Articulation - how we make speech sounds using the mouth, lips, and tongue. For example, we need to be able to say the “r” sound to say "rabbit" instead of "wabbit.”

• Voice - how we use our vocal folds and breath to make sounds. Our voice can be loud or soft or high- or low-pitched. We can hurt our voice by talking too much, yelling, or coughing a lot.

• Fluency - this is the rhythm of our speech. We sometimes repeat sounds or pause while talking. People who do this a lot may stutter.

What is language? Language refers to the words we use and how we use them to share ideas and get what we want.

Language includes:

• What words mean. Some words have more than one meaning. For example, “star” can be a bright object in the sky or someone famous.

• How to make new words. For example, we can say “friend,” “friendly,” or “unfriendly” and mean something different.

• How to put words together. For example, in English we say, “peg walked to the new store” instead of “peg walk store new.”

• What we should say at different times. For example, we might be polite and say, “would you mind moving your foot?” But, if the person does not move, we may say, “get off my foot!”

Speech disorders are conditions that affect a person's ability to produce sounds to form words, making communication difficult.

Types of Speech Disorders

1. Articulation Disorders

• Trouble making specific speech sounds correctly, such as replacing one sound with another (e.g., "wook" for "look") or distorting sounds.

2. Phonological Disorders

• Systematic patterns of sound errors that children use to simplify language as they are learning to speak.

3. Voice Disorders

• Issues with the vocal cords, resulting in a harsh, hoarse, or breathy voice, or problems with vocal pitch or volume.

4. Fluency Disorders (Stuttering)

• Disruptions in the normal flow of speech, characterized by repetitions of words or sounds, or prolongations.

5. Motor Speech Disorders

• Dysarthria: Slurred, imprecise, or slow speech due to muscle weakness or paralysis affecting the speech muscles.

• Apraxia of Speech: Difficulty coordinating the muscle movements needed for speech, even though the muscles themselves are strong enough.

6. Resonance Disorders

• Affect the sound that moves through the nasal cavity, potentially making speech sound overly nasal or muffled.

Common Causes

Speech disorders can stem from various causes, including:

• Neurological conditions like stroke, brain tumors, or cerebral palsy.

• Structural issues like cleft lip or palate.

• Hearing loss or disorders.

• Developmental delays or conditions such as autism.

• Vocal misuse or growths on the vocal cords.

Types of Language Disorders

1. Receptive Language Disorder

• Difficulty understanding words, concepts, sentences, and directions.

2. Expressive Language Disorder

• Trouble using words, forming sentences, and expressing thoughts and feelings.

3. Pragmatic Language Disorder

• Difficulty using language in different situations and with different people (also called social communication).

4. Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder

• A combination of both receptive and expressive language difficulties.

Common Symptoms

• Trouble understanding spoken or written language.

• Limited vocabulary or difficulty finding the right words.

• Problems forming sentences or using correct grammar.

• Disorganized storytelling or writing.

• Struggling to follow directions.

• Difficulty relating to others.

Causes

• Developmental Factors: Some children are born with a language disorder.

• Acquired Factors: Can occur after a stroke, injury, or other medical events.

• Associated Conditions: May be part of a broader developmental condition, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or autism.

Your child may benefit from speech/language therapy if you answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions:

• Is your child behind in meeting speech and language milestones?

• Do you or others have difficulty understanding your child?

• Does your child have difficulty saying certain sounds?

• Is your child having difficulty understanding what is being said?

• Does your child have difficulty interacting with others in social situations?

• Is there a family history of speech and/or language disorders?

• Does your child have another condition that puts him/her at risk for a speech/language disorder, such as a genetic disorder or autism spectrum disorder?

These are only general areas of concern. Please schedule a free consultation to discuss your concerns and determine if an evaluation or therapy is recommended.

Your child may benefit from feeding therapy if you answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions:

• Does your child eat less than 20 foods consistently, avoid entire food groups, or only eat a few foods from each food group?

• Does your child eat small volumes of food or take a long time to eat?

• Does your child refuse foods and engage in avoidance behaviors like tantruming, throwing food, screaming, and leaving the table?

• Does your child gag, vomit, cough, or choke while eating/drinking or shortly after?

• Does your child only eat certain textures of food (e.g., purees, crunchy solids, fluids)?

• Is your child transitioning from tube to oral feeding?

• Is your child having difficulty weaning from a bottle to solid foods?

These are only general areas of concern. While we don't specialize in feeding therapy, please schedule a free consultation to discuss your concerns and determine if an evaluation or therapy is recommended. We will happily guide you in the right direction to help you get your child's needs addressed.

Click here to fill out our online contact form. We will reach out to you for a complimentary consultation to discuss your concerns, answer your questions, and determine if an evaluation is recommended.

All new clients must be evaluated prior to treatment. We believe that evaluations are crucial in guiding our treatment process to ensure the best possible outcomes in therapy.

While we do not require a doctor's referral in order to provide services, we do recommend one. We recommend it solely for insurance purposes. All insurances are different and may only cover speech services if it is ordered by a physician. If you are concerned about insurance coverage, please check with your insurance to see what they will and will not cover.

Note: Doctors typically write their own referral notes, but providing them with a form can help ensure all necessary information is included. The specific procedure can vary by healthcare provider, insurance company, and facility. In case insurance or your doctor asks for a referral form, you can provide them with the form below.

We get that insurance companies and plans can be tricky to navigate. No two plans are created equal. We make every effort to accommodate you and help guide you through any challenges in understanding the benefits offered by your health care plan.

You can call the number provided on your insurance card to ask about their process for filing out-of-network claims and to see if speech therapy is covered. For more information on how to do this, click on the attachment below. You may also need a referral from a physician.

The length of the session can depend on many factors, including the severity of the disorder/delay and the individual's age. Sessions usually average from 30-60 minutes per week. Sessions are tailored to each individual and their specific needs.

Of course! We love for a parent/caregiver to be involved so that they can learn techniques and skills to carry over into everyday life to help their loved one meet their goals faster.