Speech Therapy
APT provides initial screenings, parent consultations, and comprehensive evaluations with written reports. We offer regularly scheduled therapy, family training, and collaboration with schools, physicians, and other paraprofessionals. Therapy is provided through individual and/or small group settings. APT provides evaluations and treatment in the following areas:
Autism spectrum disorders
Language disorders
Language based learning disabilities
Articulation/Phonological disorders
Auditory processing disorders
Cochlear/Aural rehabilitation
Fluency disorders/Stuttering
Oral motor disorders
Social/Pragmatic language disorders
Augmentative communication
Voice disorders
Tongue thrust
Deaf/Hearing
What is Speech?
The term "speech" is used to refer to the actual physical aspect of communicating a message. There are three major aspects of speech.
1. Articulation: Which refers to the physical production of sounds in speech.
2. Voice: Where air passes through the larynx causing the vocal chords to vibrate creating tones used to produce sounds.
3. Fluency and Rhythm: Language generally flows out in speech in rhythms, pauses, and stress at just the right moments to express meaning to the word spoken.
What is Language?
The term language refers to the social, verbal, cognitive and understanding of communicating a message. Here are several major aspects to language:
1. Form: This includes syntax/grammar skills. How an individual puts words together to formulate a spoken or written message. This is also important in how an individual understands a spoken or written message.
2. Content: This includes vocabulary skills. These are the words an individual uses and understands to communicate a spoken or written message. A child’s vocabulary size is going to be dependent on his age (first words around first birthday, at least 50 words by age two and so on!)
3. Use: This refers to social skills. These are the skills an individual uses to convey his message both verbally, nonverbally (facial expressions, body space, gestures), and understanding rules of social interactions. An individual’s use and understanding of social (pragmatic) skills is essential to successful communication and interactions.
What is Speech and Language Therapy?
The first and most important step in the beginning process of therapy is a speech and language evaluation. A evaluation determines and measures your child's speech-language skills. Once your child has been evaluated through careful observation your speech-language pathologist will develop a treatment plan that best suites your child’s need based on the skills evaluated. Throughout the therapy process your speech-language pathologist may re-evaluate in order to set new goals for your child. Speech and Language therapy involves many aspects and goals. These goals are accomplished over a period of time where your child will attend session(s) every week. Keep in mind, when your child begins speech-language therapy you may not see improvement right away. The rate and pattern of improvement is different for every child based upon the disorder or severity of language delay.
There are many ways to treat your child’s communication disorder. Every week we try to incorporate the following therapy procedures:
Learn a new behavior (Such as pronouncing a certain speech sound, saying new words, developing cognitive or play skills).
Modify behavior that interferes with adequate communication (such as tantrums, lack of social interaction skills, limited vocabulary skills).
Retain skills that may have been lost due to an acquired disorder or disability.
Improve speech through muscle stimulation and motor speech.
Augment oral communication with a variety of alternative,non-vocal communication devices, or electronic instruments that produce synthesized speech.
Enhance language and communication skills through naturalistic interactions and play skills.
Provide parent education, training and therapy modeling for home use.