Pediatric Speech Therapy

What is Pediatric Speech-Language Therapy?

Speech Language Pathologists help children Develop functional communication, as well as, diagnose, and treatment of speech, language, cognition, voice and swallowing disorders which may result from illness or injury. Our staff includes nationally certified Speech and Language Pathologists who diagnosis and treat dysphagia (swallowing) and communication disorders.

Speech-Language Therapy Interventions

• Articulation/phonological disorders
• Deficits in oral/motor function
• Cognitive communication disorders
• Dysphagia/feeding difficulties
• Aural rehabilitation
• Fluency disorders
• Alternative/augmentative communication
• Voice disorders
• Apraxia
• Fetal alcohol syndrome
• Failure to thrive
• Hearing impairments
• Cochlear implants
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Lisp/tongue thrust
• Vocal cord problems
• Auditory processing
• Cognitive communication disorders
• DiGeorge syndrome
• Rett syndrome
• Angelman syndrome

Our staff is trained in:

• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
• Augmentative communication/communication devices
• P.R.O. MPT
• Beckman oral motor
• S.O.S feeding approach

Does my child need speech-language therapy?

Children who would benefit from skilled speech language therapy may show signs of:

• Feeding difficulties/coughing, choking or frequent clearing of throat
• Experienced a head injury
• Nonverbal communication
• History of or frequent ear infections
• Child's speech difficult to understand
• Tongue thrust
• Raspy, hoarse vocal quality or hyper/hypo nasal
• Difficulty with peer social interactions/inappropriate behaviors
• Short term memory problems
• Stuttering
• Unable to put ideas in written expression
• Understanding what they have read
• Frequently responds with "I don't know"
• Cognitive communication disorders due to congenital birth defect
• Drooling
• Hearing loss
• Oral facial anomalies such as cleft palate
• Autism/PDD
• Difficulty with problem solving
• Down syndrome/Angelman syndrome or Rett syndrome

The resources below are the Iowa/Nebraska Articulation Norms. If your child cannot produce these sounds at the appropriate ages, it could be an indicator that they are in need of speech therapy.

Iowa/Nebraska Articulation Norms - Females

Iowa/Nebraska Articulation Norms - Males

How can I start my child in Pediatric Speech Therapy Program at Children's Rehab Center?

The process of supporting children and families begin with obtaining a physician referral for a speech language evaluation. The speech therapist will take a history to identify the child's needs and continue with an examination and evaluation of the child. This evaluation may include us developing their functional communication skills by treating speech, language and swallowing disorders. Our program is designed to assist children with wide varieties of disabilities and/or loss of function due to illness or injury. We also strive to achieve functional communication skills to increase their success and independence in communication within their daily routines and activities. Individual sessions provide intensive individualized treatment to assist children in achieving their maximum potential providing them with their dignity, respect and rights to communication which is an entitlement to all.