Articulation

An Articulation Disorder is a problem with the production of speech sounds due to incorrect placement, timing, pressure, speed and/or coordination of articulators (lips, tongue, teeth, jaw, velum). Children who have articulation disorders may be difficult to understand.

Our therapists treat articulation disorders with a systematic approach that uses visual, verbal and tactile cues. We use the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation to see which sounds are on track for a child’s age. 

View the Sound Development Chart here.

Phonological Disorders

A phonological disorder is a pattern of sound errors. Children use simplifying patterns, called phonological processes, such as fronting, backing, stopping and gliding.  Some of these processes are normal at young ages but should be outgrown by a certain age, while other processes are only heard in the speech of a child with a phonological disorder. Children with a phonological disorder know how to make the sounds correctly, but they use the sounds in the wrong places in words (for example, “fat” becomes “pat”) or they omit the sound completely (boot becomes boo-). 

Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a deficit in the ability to plan the motor movements for speech and is considered a motor speech disorder. Children with CAS have difficulties transmitting the speech message from their brain to their mouths.  If the signals sent by the brain are not transmitted correctly or are disrupted, proper speech is difficult to achieve. Signs of CAS include inconsistent errors on consonants and vowels when the same word is repeated, choppy or effortful movement between sounds and syllables, and unusual prosody (prosody refers to pitch, rate, and rhythmic features of speech). Some other behaviors seen in CAS include groping, perseverative errors, and increasing errors as the length of utterance increases. Children with CAS may have normal receptive language skills despite their difficulty with expressive language skills (speech). 

Voice Disorders 

Voice Disorders are characterized by the abnormal production and/or absence of vocal quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, and/or duration. A child who presents with voice quality (hoarseness), pitch or loudness issues should receive a thorough assessment from an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor.  An ENT often refers children with voice disorders for speech therapy.

Expressive Language Disorder

Expressive language is how we share our thoughts and needs: the words we know and how we put them together when talking, writing, gesturing, signing or using pictures.

Our therapists target a variety of language skills including, grammar, written expression, and social skills/pragmatics.

Receptive Language Disorder

Receptive language forms the foundation of language from which expressive language develops. Receptive language is spoken or written messages a person understands such as following routine requests and pointing to familiar objects. Typically receptive language skills precede expressive language skills.

Central Auditory Processing Disorder

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a problem with how the brain recognizes and interprets sound, even though hearing is normal. Children with CAPD often do not recognize or process subtle changes between sounds in words, even though the sounds are very distinct. For example, they may hear “hair” for “chair.” These kinds of problems are often more common in noisy environments or when listening to complex information. CAPD is diagnosed by an audiologist and treatment is administered by a Speech-Language Pathologist.

Pragmatics/Social Language

Pragmatics refers to the use of social language. This includes skills such as turn-taking, starting a conversation, eye contact, greeting, protesting and understanding personal space. Some children with pragmatic difficulties also have trouble with vocabulary and grammar.

Pre-Linguistic Delays

These skills are often targeted with younger children, such as eye contact, joint attention, facial expressions and gestures, babbling, sound imitation, and nonverbal communication skills. These skills typically develop prior to verbal communication.

Speech and Language Delay

A speech or language delay means a child is developing skills in the typical order but later than most children the same age.

See our Speech Milestones page for what’s typical at each age.

Stuttering

Stuttering is a fluency disorder. Fluency refers to the smooth flow of connected speech when communicating. Stuttering can include repeating sounds or words, stretching sounds out, getting stuck with no sound (blocks), and adding filler words (um, uh). Our therapists use a variety of techniques to reduce stuttering and promote relaxation.

Dysphagia

Dysphagia means difficulty swallowing. We treat children and adults who have trouble swallowing safely. Speech-Language Pathologists develop individualized compensatory strategies for safe hydration and nutrition. See Feeding Milestones for children, or FEES & MBSS for details on swallow studies.

Related pages: Speech Milestones · Speech & Language Terms · FEES & MBSS · Pediatric Speech Therapy · Adult Speech Therapy