Language Development
Looking for speech-language therapy that meets your child wherever they are? Our clinical approach to language acquisition is fun, natural, and play-based!
When we work with children who are lagging in their language skills, our goal is to show them the power of speech through play. Typically, this is accomplished through naturalistic learning and repeated exposure to targeted language skills. Examples of treatment areas include:
Increasing the number of words per utterance (MLU)
Using different parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.)
Practicing specific grammatical structures
Sharing opinions, emotions, and observations
Protesting and requesting with words
Gestalt language acquisition (learning language in chunks)
Increasing expressive and receptive vocabulary
Following directions of increasing complexity
Narrative production and comprehension skills
Phonological processing: rhyming, blending, segmenting, etc.
These examples are intended to give a general idea of what your child may work on with our clinician- but each client receives their own custom plan-of-care in collaboration with you, the parent, and your pediatrician.
What Is a Language Disorder? How can an SLP help?
A Developmental Language Disorder is a neurodevelopmental difference that changes the way a child learns, understands, and uses language. Language development depends on many interacting cognitive, linguistic, and environmental factors. Differences in any number of these areas can influence how a child develops language. A language disorder may be represented by changes or delays in the form, content, or use of language. Clinicians use norm-referenced tests, extensive training, and clinical expertise to help determine when a language disorder is present. We look at what your child can produce and understand in a number of areas, including vocabulary, grammar, and instructions.
A Developmental Language Disorder is recognized under different labels in different settings. At school, your child may have been given a special education eligibility category of Language Impairment (LI). If you have received an independent evaluation by a psychologist, physician, or speech-language pathologist, your child may have been diagnosed with a Mixed Receptive/Expressive Language Disorder (ICD-10 code F80.2).
It is important to note that language and speech are not the same:
• Language describes what your child produces and understands. Think of vocabulary, grammar, and social use.
• Speech describes how your child physically creates the sounds of speech. Think of articulation, stuttering, and apraxia of speech.
An SLP plays a key role in supporting children with language disorders. Through the evaluation process, we help identify the nature of the disorder and describe your child’s strengths and areas of need. After identifying treatment targets, we work with your child to establish a strong relationship built around communication. Often, we are targeting verbal expression, but we may work toward establishing or enhancing other means of communication when appropriate. During your child’s therapy sessions, you can expect a lot of repetition, observation, and laughter, as we work toward building upon a strong foundation of language skills.
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