What is Speech Therapy?

What is Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy is a specialized therapy done by speech -language pathologist who treat students with communication delays or disorders. Speech therapy can include one or more of the following communication areas:
Expressive Language: unable to form meaningful messages using age appropriate grammar or word finding difficulties.

Receptive Language: difficulty understanding what is being said to them.

Articulation/Speech: unable to produce age appropriate speech sounds.

Social Language: difficulties with turn taking, initiating and maintaining a conversation, repairing conversation breakdowns, perspective taking and interpreting non-verbal cues.

Fluency: also known as "stuttering". Speech that is disrupted or "bumpy" (prolongations, sound or syllable repetitions, blocks); effortful speech.

Voice: disturbance of pitch, loudness or quality in relation to an individual's age, gender and culture.

Oral Motor: difficulties with muscle function and/or motor planning.

APD (Auditory Processing Disorder): difficulties attending, poor listening skills, following multi-step directions, difficulties processing information.

Augmentative Communication: assisting non-verbal student’s communication with a communication device or PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System).