May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month and to celebrate, Taylor Therapy is highlighting the pediatric speech and language services available at several of the Taylor clinic locations. Speech language pathologists (SLP) prevent, assess, diagnose and treat in the areas of communication and feeding/swallowing. As the scope of practice for a SLP is very broad, we are breaking down the areas of specialty below to better help explain all of the services our pediatric SLPs provide to our communities.
Speech
Disorders occur when there is a disturbance in production of speech sounds or fluency of speech. These include phonological disorders and fluency disorders like stuttering.
Language
When broken down further, language includes both receptive and expressive skills. Receptive language refers to comprehension or understanding of what is being said. Expressive language skills relate to one’s ability to share their thoughts, feelings or ideas. Language disorders may fall in the areas of listening, processing, speaking, reading, writing or pragmatics.
Social Communication
Disorders include difficulties with the social use of communication when it comes to both verbal and nonverbal language. Difficulties often involve communicating for social purposes, adjusting the way you talk to fit the situation or listener, or following rules of conversation and story-telling. Social communication disorders often co-occur with autism spectrum disorder or a traumatic brain injury.
Cognitive-Communication
This area includes difficulties with problem-solving, memory, planning, attending or organizing information. Cognitive-communication disorders often occur following a stroke, traumatic brain injury or dementia, but can also be congenital.
Swallowing
Feeding therapy focuses on sensory processing, oral motor skills and nutrition needed to eat a wide variety of foods and textures. Those who may benefit from feeding therapy include those presented with difficulties with breast and bottle feeding, food refusals/aversions or picky eating, choking, gagging or vomiting with eating, poor weight gain or failure to thrive, limited diet/food repertoire, neurological symptoms such as facial muscle weakness, low tone, or spasticity, or craniofacial anomalies such as cleft lip or palate.
Aural Rehabilitation
Therapy is designed to assist individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing by providing tools that address auditory memory, localizing sounds, and listening in conversation.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
This therapy provides assistance with low- and high-tech AAC systems for individuals with severe expressive and/or language disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder or neurological disorders.
Speech language pathologists are serving the communities surrounding Taylor Therapy clinics located in Denver, Nashua, Parkersburg and at the Waverly Health Center.
How do I make an appointment?
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Taylor Therapy Associates at Waverly Health Center. (319) 352-5644
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| Kayla Berryman, MA, CCC-SLP | Cassidy Reams, MA, CCC-SLP |
