Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions
of students and parents.
- What is Speech Therapy?
- What is Language Therapy?
- How will I know if my child needs Speech or Language Therapy?
- What if my child can't say certain sounds?
- What should I do when my child stutters?
- Should I be concerned if my child has a raspy or hoarse voice?
- What is an IEP?
- How often will my child be seen for Speech and Language Therapy?
- What can I do at home to help my child's Speech and Language skills?
- What is Kindergarten Sound Club?
- Why does the Speech Pathologist do a Kindergarten Classroom lesson?
- What can I do to support my child's development of Phonological Awareness?
- What is the most important thing I can do to help my child?
- What is Autism?
What is Speech Therapy?
Speech Therapy addresses: (1)ARTICULATION or how your child says
all of their sounds when talking; (2)VOICE or how your child's loudness,
pitch, and voice quality sounds; (3)FLUENCY or stuttering.
What is Language Therapy?
Language Therapy addresses: (1)RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE or how well your
child understands instructions or vocabulary; (2)EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE
or how well your child is able to communicate their ideas and feelings
to others in clear sentences that make sense, with correct grammar;
(3)PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE or how well your child uses the social rules of
communicating - skills like turn-taking, using eye contact,
using appropriate words, so as not to hurt someone's feelings.
How will I know if my child needs Speech or Language Therapy?
I will screen all the Kindergarten children, at Kindergarten
Roundup. I will screen all of the 2nd graders, after the Winter Break, (by age 7-
8, they should be able to correctly pronounce all of the sounds). I will
also screen any children identified by their teacher, as possibly having
speech and/or language problems. I will notify the parents of any problems and
request permission to do a complete evaluation.
What if my child can't say certain sounds?
When I screen your child in Kindergarten and in 2nd grade, I am checking
to see if they have the developmental sounds they should have by their age.
Some sounds are "later-developing sounds" like "s" and "z"; "th" as in "with"
or as in "brother"; or "r" sounds as in rabbit, far, for, fair, fear, fur,
and fire. These sounds often require additional instruction and practice
to learn how to master.
What should I do when my child stutters?
Between the ages of 2-5, many children go through a normal period of dysfluency,
repeating words or phrases, "Daddy, Daddy", "I just want, I just want".
Focus on WHAT your child is saying, NOT on HOW much trouble
he/she is having.
Respond to your child the same way whether he is stuttering or not.
Don't tell him to 'take a breath' because this can make it more frustrating.
Give your child your full attention.
Create an environment that is supportive where everyone gets a turn to talk.
Don't allow siblings to tease.
Don't put your child on the spot to talk to someone.
See the 'HOMEWORK' section on this website for more ideas.
Should I be concerned if my child has a raspy or hoarse voice?
I will screen your child's voice in Kindergarten and again in 2nd grade.
If I have any concerns about your child's voice, a referral will be made
to an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor)for assessment. This is necessary
to determine the cause of the voice problem before I can begin any voice therapy.
Vocal misuse and abuse can be due to frequent coughing, acid reflux,
frequent screaming, yelling across the house, loud talking,
speaking in silly voices, making rough car/animal noises, frequent tantrums
with excessive crying, or frequent throat clearing.
Other factors that could affect the voice are inhaling irritants or
second-hand smoke.
Vocal abuse can cause temporary or permanent damage to the vocal cords,
sometimes requiring surgery.
Talk to me if you have any concerns about your child's voice.
What is an IEP?
Speech and Language Therapy comes under the classification
of 'Special Education'. An I.E.P. or Individualized Education Program, is a
legal document that outlines the specific special education program,
including goals to be addressed, that will be used to help your child
overcome and/or compensate for any difficulties that he/she is having.
How often will my child be seen for Speech and Language Therapy?
I usually see children once a week for 30-45 minute sessions. I
will coordinate this time with their regular classroom teacher, to try
not to take the child out of class during a time that is a core curriculum
area that he/she should not miss, or during a lesson time that he/she
particularly enjoys, like art/music. I don't typically take children during
recess. I want them to enjoy coming to Speech and Language Therapy and have
it be a positive experience.
What can I do at home to help my child's Speech and Language skills?
Our communication skills are INTERACTIVE...they are best practiced during everyday activities...
talk out loud about what you are doing while you are making dinner or doing laundry or doing yardwork;
talk about places you go; listen to your child; ask your child questions; play games together, and READ together...
all of these activities provide your child with models of what good sentences/questions sound like,
this is the best way to practice.
Here are some ways to increase vocabulary and categorization skills:
When you are at the grocery store, talk about the groups of food - what items are fruit, or vegetables,
what you find in the bakery aisle.
When you are at the dept. store, talk about the overhead signs - where would you find paper towel,
shampoo, or cereal.
When you're in the car, talk about the vehicles that you see, that some are cars, some are trucks,
there are school buses and city buses;
and what emergency vehicles are - police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks.
Basic Concepts (colors, numbers, location words, opposites)are the building blocks for language -
to understand and follow directions, for reading, and for doing math.
When you play outside, talk about going in/out/on/under/up/behind/near/before/after,etc.
What is Kindergarten Sound Club?
I do a classroom lesson with the Kindergarten class each week to
increase the children's Phonological Awareness Skills. These are the skills
that include the ability to rhyme, break up the syllables of words, blend
sounds to make words, and to discriminate individual sounds in words. These
skills are important for learning to read.
Why does the Speech Pathologist do a Kindergarten Classroom lesson?
The Kindergarten classroom is a very language-rich environment.
The Speech Pathologist looks at the children's developing language skills.
We want to give all children the benefit of introducing them to specific
phonological awareness skills. Recent research shows that phonological
awareness intervention can significantly improve reading skills in children
with reading disorders. At this young age, we don't know which
children that may be...so we provide these lessons to all students to, hopefully,
reach all of those at-risk students, and help all students with
their developing literacy and speech-language skills.
What can I do to support my child's development of Phonological Awareness?
READ to your child every day! Research proves that reading to
your child 15-20 minutes daily can significantly improve their language skills,
vocabulary, and can promote literacy acquisition.
Books with rhyming, like Dr. Seuss, that have sound patterns, are
great.
Point out the words that rhyme and see if your child can name
another word that rhymes too. Then point out WHY we say those
words 'rhyme'...'yes, bat/cat, they both sound the same at the end.'
Ask about the beginning and ending sounds...'What sound did that start with?'...bat, starts
with 'b' (focus on the SOUND, not the letter). Then you can point to the
letter and talk about how the letter B makes that 'b' sound. Point out the
words as you read them, and your child will learn that letters make up words,
words make up sentences, and sentences tell a story. Repeated readings of
the same book is best. Your child begins to memorize the phrases, you can
leave off a word at the end of the sentence and he/she can fill it in. This
increases their participation.
Direct your child's attention to the printed words, not just the
pictures.
Show them how to think about what they are reading by asking
questions: 'What do you think will happen next?' and 'How do you think that
character felt?', etc.
What is the most important thing I can do to help my child?
READ with your child DAILY! All of the latest research shows
that success in school starts with reading...and skills needed for reading
involve phonological awareness. Please check out my link to the National
Institute for Literacy. There is a Parent Guide that describes what a
quality reading program should look like at school and suggestions for how you
can support that program through activities with your child. If you are the
parent of a Kindergartener through grade 3, or if your child is struggling
with reading, I strongly suggest checking out this link.
What is Autism?
Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first 2 yrs of life.
It is a "Spectrum" disorder, meaning there are degrees of impairment from mild to severe.
The diagnosis is made by a team of professionals doing observations in multiple settings.
Many children with autism can be over-stimulated in noisy and active environments. They may
have difficulty with transitions from one activity to another. Many children on all levels
of the spectrum have difficulty with social language skills and must have direct instruction
of these skills.
