Pediatric Speech and Language Therapy: Servicing children from Birth - 21 years old

Pediatric Speech and Language Therapy provides the highest level of individualized speech, language and social communication services to children in need, including diagnostic and therapy services.

How can I encourage my child to use words?

    Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development:

·        *Talk to your child. Encourage your child to make vowel-like and consonant-like sounds. “ma”, “ba”, “da”

·        *Model what you want your child to say. “Ball”. “This is a ball”. Teach your baby to imitate your actions, including clapping hands, blowing kisses, and using finger-songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

·       * Identify items and colors, count things around the home, use gestures like waving “bye, bye” to help learn meaning.

·        *Expand on what your child says. “Mama. Here is mama, I’m your mama.”

·        *Read to your child. Reading can be pointing to objects and pictures in books. Encourage naming and identifying familiar items.

How do i know if my child needs a Speech Therapist?

     Indicators That Your Child May Benefit From a Speech and Language Evaluation:

·        *Child is not expressing at least 50 words by the age of two years old.

·        *Child is using pointing and gesturing to request everything without vocalizations beyond the age of two years old.

·        *Child is not making eye contact when communicating with the parent or during play activities.

·        *Ask other parents or your child’s pediatrician if your child is comparable to other children his or her age.

**The younger your child is evaluated and diagnosed, the more positive outcome he or she will experience in speech and language development.