Speech and language therapy provides life-changing treatment, support for children, youth & adults who have difficulties with communication, eating, drinking and swallowing.
SCYS’s Speech & Language Pathologists work closely with parents and other professionals, such as teachers, occupational therapists and doctors.
- Speech Disorders, Language Disorders, and Feeding Disorders
A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds. A language disorder refers to a problem understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas.
Speech disorders include:
- Articulation disorders: difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that listeners can’t understand what’s being said.
- Fluency disorders: problems such as stuttering, in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, partial-word repetitions (“d-d-dog”) or prolonging sounds and syllables (sssssnap).
- Resonance or voice disorders: problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what’s being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for a child when speaking.
Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive:
- Receptive disorders: difficulties understanding or processing language.
- Expressive disorders: difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way.
- Cognitive-communication disorders: difficulty with communication skills that involve memory, attention, perception, organization, regulation, and problem solving.
- Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders are disorders in the way someone eats or drinks, including problems with chewing, swallowing, coughing, gagging, and refusing foods.
Our SLP will assess speech, language, cognitive-communication and oral/feeding/swallowing skills to identify types of communication problems (articulation; fluency; voice; receptive and expressive language disorders, etc.
We provide 1:1, small group therapy.
Some work our SLP will do with your child may include but not limited to:
- Language intervention activities: by playing and talking, using pictures, books, objects, or ongoing events to stimulate language development. The therapist may also model correct vocabulary and grammar and use repetition exercises to build language skills.
- Articulation therapy: Articulation, or sound production, exercises involve having the therapist model correct sounds and syllables in words and sentences for a child, often during play activities. The level of play is age-appropriate and related to the child’s specific needs. The SLP will physically show the child how to make certain sounds, such as the “r” sound, and may demonstrate how to move the tongue to produce specific sounds.
- Oral-motor/feeding and swallowing therapy: The SLP may use a variety of oral exercises — including facial massage and various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises — to strengthen the muscles of the mouth for eating, drinking, and swallowing. The SLP may also introduce different food textures and temperatures to increase a child’s oral awareness during eating and swallowing.
Your Child may need speech-language therapy for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:
hearing impairments
cognitive (intellectual, thinking) or other developmental delays
weak oral muscles
chronic hoarseness
birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate
autism
motor planning problems
articulation problems
fluency disorders
respiratory problems (breathing disorders)
feeding and swallowing disorders
traumatic brain injury
Our Speech Language Pathologists are registered and licensed to practice in the province of Ontario(CASLPO)
Our Services may be covered under extended health coverage plans.