Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. I think my child may have a speech delay, what should I expect for them at their age?
A. We typically look at child development in the following domains: Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Adaptive, Communicative and Social-Emotional. In these areas, there is a spectrum of normal child development that we would expect from a typically developing child. Some children may have strong skills in one domain, while others may not be as advanced, but still fall within the expected development for their age. For example, not every child walks and talks 10 months of age and some may do so by 15 months, both of which are normal. Chances are, if you have “in your gut” concerns, it’s worth investigating. This may be as simple as a phone consultation or may require more testing by a professional who is trained in child development.
Q. What is a speech-language pathologist?
A. A speech-language pathologist, according to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), serves individuals, families, and groups from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Services are provided based on applying the best available research evidence, using expert clinical judgments, and considering clients’ individual preferences and values. Speech-language pathologists address typical and atypical communication and swallowing in the following areas:
- speech sound production: articulation, apraxia of speech, dysarthria, ataxia and dyskinesia
- resonance: hypernasality, hyponasality, cul-de-sac resonance and mixed resonance
- voice: phonation quality, pitch, loudness and respiration
- fluency: stuttering and cluttering
- language (comprehension and expression): phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics (language use, social aspects of communication)
- written language/literacy: reading, writing, spelling
- prelinguistic communication: joint attention, intentionality, communicative signaling
- cognition: attention, memory, sequencing, problem solving and executive functioning
- feeding and swallowing: oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, esophageal, orofacial myology (including tongue thrust) and oral-motor functions
Potential causes of communication and swallowing disorders include
- neonatal problems (e.g., prematurity, low birth weight, substance exposure);
- developmental disabilities (e.g., specific language impairment, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder);
- auditory problems (e.g., hearing loss or deafness);
- oral anomalies (e.g., cleft lip/palate, dental malocclusion, macroglossia, oral-motor dysfunction);
- respiratory compromise (e.g., bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease);
- pharyngeal anomalies (e.g., upper airway obstruction, velopharyngeal insufficiency/incompetence);
- laryngeal anomalies (e.g., vocal fold pathology, tracheal stenosis, tracheostomy);
- neurological disease/dysfunction (e.g., traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, cerebral vascular accident);
- genetic disorders (e.g., Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, velocardiofacial syndrome).
The professional roles and activities in speech-language pathology include clinical/educational services (diagnosis, assessment, planning, and treatment), prevention and advocacy, and education, administration, and research.
Q. What if my child has already been evaluated, but I still have concerns?
A. Some children may have already been evaluated by the home school district, however they did not qualify for services because the primary area of concern based was not determined to have an educational impact on the child’s school performance. Connecticut State guidelines dictate eligibility criteria for Service Delivery in schools; often times a child is found ‘ineligible’ for school based therapy, yet there is still a concern. In these instances, an initial phone consultation will be an effective means to determine what the next steps are to helping your child with their speech and language needs. Once the areas of concern are identified, the center will be able to determine which assessment tools will be best to use to help direct treatment if necessary.