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How do I know if my child needs services?
Developmental Milestones
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Milestones birth to 3 months
Milestones 4-5 months
Milestones 7-9 months
Speech-language Pathologists, also known as speech therapists, work with adults and children to assess, diagnose and treat speech, language, cognitive-communication, social-communication and feeding, and swallowing disorders.
Learn More At: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
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Common Speech Diagnoses / Disorders
Developmental Delay, Prematurity, Genetic Conditions, Hearing Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Brain Tumor, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Chromosomal Abnormalities, Learning Disability, Cleft Lip/Palate, Tracheostomy Dependency, Hypoxia, Dementia, Aphasia, Dysphagia, Seizure Disorder, Head/Neck Cancer, Degenerative Diseases
Why would my child need to see a speech therapist?
Speech therapists work with children who have difficulty producing certain sounds, delayed language development, stuttering disorders, poor social communication skills, impaired memory or problem-solving skills and feeding and swallowing disorders.
Speech Signs Development Chart
Possible Signs of Feeding Disorders
Speech Sounds
Speech is how we produce sounds and put sounds together into words. Common speech sound disorders include: articulation disorders, phonological disorders, apraxia of speech, dysarthria.
Language
Language is how we understand what we hear or read and how we communicate thoughts and ideas through words, sign language, pictures or writing. Receptive language refers to the way we understand what we hear or read while expressive language refers to how we use words to communicate various ideas. Common language disorders include: Receptive Language Disorders, Expressive Language Disorders and Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorders.
Fluency
Fluency disorders are often referred to as stuttering disorders. Stuttering involves different types of disfluencies, including the repetition of sounds, words or phrases. Stuttering may also involve the disruption of speech through frequent pauses.
Voice
Voice is the way we sound when we are talking including how loud or soft and high or low. Voice disorders include breathy, hoarse or strained sounding voices and too much or too little airflow through the nose during speech.
Social Communication
Social Communication is the way we follow social rules during communication with others including taking turns in conversation, not standing too close or too far, interpreting non-verbal cues like body language and facial expressions, and staying on topic.
Cognitive Communication
Cognition involves how well our minds work to help us with memory, problem-solving, attention, organization and reasoning. When our minds don’t work as well as they should in one or more areas, it may affect our ability to communicate effectively.
Occupational Therapists work with individuals of all ages to help them perform activities important to their daily routines. Occupational therapists work with individuals to address deficits in motor skills, sensory processing and cognition.
Learn More At: American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
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Sensory Processing Disorders
Common Diagnoses and Conditions Benefiting from Occupational Therapy:
Developmental Delay, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Prematurity, Amputations, Spina-Bifida, Autism, Genetic Abnormalities, Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Behavioral Issues, Mental Health Conditions, Orthopedic Injuries, Sensory Processing Disorder, Severe Burns.
How can occupational therapy help my child?
Occupational Therapists help individuals of all ages with injuries, illnesses or disabilities to recover, maintain and improve skills needed for daily activities and work. The main “occupation” of a child is playing and learning. Occupational therapists work with children to improve skills needed for play and functional independence, including coordination, visual processing, sensory processing, fine motor skills, and functional mobility.
Physical Therapists work with individuals to develop, maintain and restore optimal body movement and function.
Learn More At: American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
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Common Conditions/Diagnoses treated by Physical Therapists
Cerebral Palsy, Spina-Bifida, Torticollis, Muscular Weakness, Muscular Dystrophy, Prematurity, Respiratory Conditions, Genetic Conditions, Developmental Delay, Sports Injuries, Hypertonia, Hypotonia, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Brain Tumor, Spinal Cord Injuries, Down Syndrome, Autism, Amputations.
How can physical therapy help my child?
A physical therapist can help children recover from injuries or reach milestones by improving strength, coordination, endurance, and flexibility. Physical Therapists can also assist families by adapting toys for play, making equipment recommendations, providing community resources, making home safety recommendations, providing positioning recommendations for daily activities and providing mobility options.
Printable Resources For Parents
Pathways.org has a robust library of printable handouts for parents. Below is a list of helpful ones. You can view more at www.pathways.org
Could your child benefit from extra support?
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