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SERVICES FOR CHILDREN
We work with children of every age: premature infants, infants, toddlers, preschoolers, elementary and older children with a variety of diagnoses.
Unfortunately, even today the most common advice given to parents when a concern about speech development arises is "he/she will probably outgrow it, so relax."
And yet, parents who seek a professional Speech evaluation for their child are often dismayed to learn that a problem they had suspected for the past few months (or year) still persists. They feel valuable time in their child's development has been lost by the wait-and-see approach.
Research shows that early intervention works.
It helps to reduce parental anxiety, to provide developmentally appropriate guidelines and markers for parents to monitor. It helps a child to establish foundational skills which other important developmental learning depends upon.
If therapy is recommended, it begins sooner, not later.
So, the bottom line is: since Speech/Language Pathologists are the experts in speech and language, and since they can allay your fears by evaluating your child; why wouldn't you seek the solace of an evaluation to determine if your child will outgrow the concerns. By acting early, you can rest assured you did not lose valuable developmental time by taking a chance and waiting.
Which children are at higher risk for speech and/or language problems?
Statistics show that children with middle ear infections, hearing loss, familial tendencies of speech problems, exposure to alcohol or drugs in the womb, children with developmental diagnoses (increasingly autism), and children who were born prematurly can have a higher incidence of speech and/or language problems.
We also know that children with language problems can struggle in school with reading and spelling. Early identification helps to get the resources your child deserves in place as soon as possible so he/she doesn't experience unnecessary frustration or social and academic problems.
INFANTS AND TODDLERS
There is a persistent myth that in order to benefit from speech therapy you have to be able to talk or be on the cusp of learning to talk (doctors typically consider this age 2 ½ or older).
Did you know that research has shown that at birth your child's brain is already "wired" to respond more actively to the native language(s) of your home than to a foreign language? This tells us that communication development begins before birth! As a result, we can assess and treat at any age by measuring your child's pre-speech and language skills.
We can provide education for enrichment activities, and we can provide direct therapy for any age. We can also help to monitor any child who may be in a higher-risk category for developing later speech and language problems. In addition, the earliest signs and symptoms associated with a diagnosis of Autism are often the very pre-speech and language skills which fail to develop (things such as turn taking, eye gaze, attention to people rather than objects, pretend play, etc).
An early speech evaluation can assist in gathering the data needed for an early diagnosis. Early identification is proving to be the key to better outcomes. In addition, there are many pre-speech skills which must be in place for speech to develop.
How do we do speech therapy with little ones before they are talking?
A child's work is play. Parents and siblings are an integral part of their lives. As a result, we strive to incorporate each element into sessions by doing parent training, sibling support goals and using functional play tasks which are developmentally appropriate. Skills learned in therapy are carried
over into the daily activities at home and in the community for more efficient progress and better outcomes.
We work in collaboration with the early intervention agencies in San Diego county to ensure your child's team is working toward complimentary and non-redundant goals.
PRE-SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN
We strive to incorporate developmentally appropriate social and classroom activities (including homework) into therapy sessions.
This makes therapy tasks more meaningful and promotes carryover of newly learned skills into the academic setting. Teachers and parents are encouraged directly and indirectly to be involved in sessions to help promote carryover into home and school settings.
Children are given developmentally-appropriate responsibility in monitoring their own speech and language behaviors to ensure the most efficient and permanent changes to occur.
SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN
HEARING
Why do you recommend a recent hearing assessment before beginning speech therapy?
A hearing screening or assessment is recommended by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (www.asha.org) for all newborns, and annual screenings are recommended for any child showing difficulty developing speech and language skills at the age-expected rate of development. Those considered "higher-risk" include children with allergies, reflux, frequent ear infections, family history, etc.
When hearing is corrected, a child has the necessary acoustic "tools" he/she needs for developing speech and language skills. With uncorrected hearing (even if the loss is temporary), he/she is at a disadvantage. Imagine trying to learn a difficult foreign language by running around with your ears plugged or no sound at all! It's not quite that simple, but perhaps it helps to illustrate the importance of the point.
CHILDREN WITH DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING
We are skilled in working with swallowing problems. We use an array of treatment methods including Sara Rosenfeld Johnson, Justine Shepard, Jeri Logemann, Marjorie Mayer Palmer,
and Vital Stim program for your child's unique skills and areas of need is designed with a home carryover program.
Our goal is your goal. To minimize dietary restrictions, to get off a tube feeding, to regain the pleasures of eating, and to enjoy the many social events which involve food. We use the Frazier Water Protocol for quality of life and for functional and meaningful therapy. Muscle atrophy from disuse sets in within 48 hours of a "nothing by mouth" physician order, so don't wait! Call us today.
San Diego and La Jolla speech therapy -- CALL (619) 840-7872 -- for children and adults speech therapy, accent reduction, language and speaking training
-- speech therapist located in La Jolla.
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