Speech Therapy Services We Offer
Comfort specializes in assessment and treatment of Speech Sound Disorders (SSD).
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association identifies speech sound disorders as an umbrella term referring to any difficulty or combination of difficulties with perception, motor production, or phonological representation of speech sounds and speech segments.
Speech sound disorders can be organic or functional in nature. Organic speech sound disorders result from an underlying motor/neurological (childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria), structural (cleft lip/palate), or sensory/perceptual (hearing impairment) cause. Functional speech sound disorders include those related to the motor production of speech sounds (articulation) and those related to the linguistic aspects of speech production (phonology). Functional speech sound disorders are idiopathic—they have no known cause.
Screenings
| $20
Screenings are conducted by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Screenings take anywhere from 15-30 minutes and will identify any speech deficits that are present. When the screening is complete, information will be provided covering (1) recommendations, and (2) next steps, such as a more extensive evaluation.
Evaluations & Reports
| $200-$450 depending on area(s) of concern
An evaluation is completed by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist to gain a comprehensive view of your child’s current strengths and weaknesses. Comfort uses a variety of assessment tools to diagnose the presence of a speech or language deficit. You will receive a report which will include use a combination of background information, parent interviews, observations, performance-based assessments, standardized testing, and recommendations.
Individual Therapy Services
| $60 for 30 minutes
Comfort works collaboratively with children and their families to maximize their communication potential across all environments! All therapy is individualized to meet our clients specific needs and based on up-to-date research. The Speech-Language Pathologist will recommend a therapy plan after completing evaluation.
AREAS OF ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT
Early Language Development
Children grow and develop at their own rate. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, the earlier you seek help, the better. If you are concerned about your child’s development, you may contact your local early intervention program directly to ask for an evaluation. Families do not have to wait for a referral from professionals. However, if your child does not qualify for services through the state, but you feel they still need help, Comfort is here to support you and your family. Please refer to this handout to gain a better understanding of what skills you should be expecting from you child!
Articulation
Articulation refers to how we produce specific sounds. An articulation disorder commonly involves sound substitutions (i.e. /w/ for /r/ as in "wock" for "rock") or sound distortions (i.e. lisp). Most children can say almost all sounds correctly by the age of 5. View average ages children learn to produce speech sounds.
Phonology
Phonology refers to how we use individual sound patterns in the context of language. Children with phonological delays/disorders commonly exhibit consistent patterns of sound substitutions or omissions. For example, children with the phonological pattern of "fronting" consistently produce sounds made with the back of the tongue, such as /k/ and /g/, with the front of the tongue. This would sound like "tat" for "cat" or "doe" for "go". The more phonological patterns a child produces the more difficult they are to understand. If a 3-year-old isn't able to be understood by strangers about 75% of the time then a speech assessment should be recommended.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Apraxia is a label for a specific type of speech disorder that is caused by difficulty with planning movements necessary to say words. CAS is not a medical condition. Children with CAS know what they want to say, but their mouth may not move the way it needs to in order to say words clearly. CAS is a motor-based disorder, so the most effective treatments are based on the principles of motor learning, unlike traditional speech therapy. Since CAS is a speech sound disorder, a SLP is the most qualified professional to diagnose and treat it.
Echolalia and Gestalt Language Processing
Is your child not responding well to a "traditional" therapy approach? Do they use single words, long scripts, rich intonation, and unintelligible strings of language? Your child may be a Gestalt Language Processor (GLP). Analytic language development and gestalt language development are two ways to process and develop language. Both analytic language development and gestalt language development are normal and natural! While everyone uses some echolalia, echolalia is the essential part of language development for gestalt language processors.