Speech-Language Services
Our speech and language therapists manage disorders of speech, language, communication and swallowing in children and adults. The SLT’s work closely with parents and/or carers and other professionals to ensure the best progress for every patient.
They work with feeding and swallowing difficulties in children and adults, children (from as young as 9 months) with specific language impairment, specific difficulties in producing sounds, hearing impairment, mild, moderate or severe learning difficulties, language delay, stuttering and autism/social interaction difficulties, specific syndromes and neurological problems.
When to refer to a speech- language therapist:
All communication- and hearing difficulties have the potential to isolate a child from his/her social and educational environment, which has a negative effect on their academic development. Therefore it is of utmost importance to identify any speech-, language and hearing difficulties as soon as possible, in order for effective intervention to take place.
The typical speech language and hearing problems caused by a Speech language therapist / audiologist is treated, involves:
Auditory Processing Disorders:
A Child with normal hearing, but he/she presents like a child with a hearing loss.
- He/she finds it difficult to maintain an active listening posture or to maintain attention in the presence of background noise.
- He/she finds it difficult to follow instructions.
- He/she constantly hears incorrectly.
- He/she constantly asks the speaker to repeat what was said.
- He/she finds it difficult to correctly interpret verbal information, for example to repeat a story.
- He/she finds it difficult to combine individual sounds for example c-l-a- ss – r –oo – m = classroom, or to analyse sounds for example schoolbag = s – c – h – oo – l – b – a – g.
- He/ she struggles with recalling detail for example names of characters in a story.
Speech:
- Articulation disorders:
- Certain sounds that are not pronounced correctly. For example: /th/ – d; /r/ – w; /sh/ – s
- Phonological developmental disorders:
- Certain sounds are being replaced with other sounds, or sounds are left out during a conversation.For example: Cat – tat; yellow – lellow
- Dysfluencies:
- Repetition of sounds during a conversation.
- Repetition of words or phrases during a conversation.
- The presence of secondary behavior such as closing the eyes and pulling back the head during periods of dysfluencies.
Language disorders/language learning difficulties:
- Poor sentence construction.
- Poor sentence construction.
- Restricted vocabulary.
- Second language learner.
- Poor grammar use.
- Limited comprehension skills.
- Poor turn taking skills during a conversation.
- Limited eye contact during a conversation.
- Struggles with initiating and/or maintaining a topic during conversation.
Voice problems:
- Too high or too low pitched voice.
- Continues hoarseness in voice quality.
- Nasal voice quality.
Writing and spelling difficulties
Low oral muscle control:
- Mouth is constantly open during periods of rest.
- Excessive “drooling” or production of saliva.
- Tongue is constantly in protrusion (pushed forward).
Reading difficulties
Adults:
- Stroke patients
- Dementia patients
- Voice difficulties
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Stuttering
Procedure of referring to a Speech Language Therapist:
- Contact the practice to schedule an appointment
- After the 60 minute assessment and feedback, therapy is discussed with the patient/parents/guardians/family
- Children are seen individually at the practice or at the school (depending on what the therapist suggests)
- Adults will be seen in individual sessions at the practice.
- Therapy sessions is 30 minutes (depending on what the therapist suggests).
- Interactive approach are followed in means of contact with the parent/family as well as the teacher in children and the employer in adults (where possible).