Why might my child need Speech and Language Therapy?
Your child may be having problems communicating. This may be difficulties with:
- Understanding what is being said
- Expressing him/her self fluently and/or accurately
- Pronouncing sounds on their own and/or in words
- Social interaction
Speech therapy can help remediate these difficulties through play, listening work, speech production activities as well as oro-motor work to strengthen and develop parts of your child’s mouth.
Why does my child have these difficulties?
There is no short answer to explain why children have speech and language difficulties. They may have arisen as a result of:
- A hearing loss, either fluctuating or permanent
- A difficulty moving the tongue or parts of the mouth to make sounds and or sequence sounds
- A developmental delay
- A language/communication delay
- A learning difficulty
- Poor attention and listening skills
- A hereditary condition
Or, as for many children, there is no apparent rhyme or reason for these difficulties. What we do know though, is that speech and language difficulties are 3 x more prevalent in boys than in girls, and that early detection and intervention are beneficial in the remedial process.
Why might my child need Auditory Verbal Therapy?
Auditory-Verbal Therapy is a specialized, parent centered therapy designed to teach hearing impaired children to use their residual hearing to listen, process verbal language, and to speak.
The child is taught to develop hearing as an active sense so that listening becomes automatic and the child seeks out sounds in life. The child learns speech and language through listening rather than through visual means; such as speech reading or sign language.
