Melissa Peters, M.S., CCC-SLP delivers speech and language services to a variety of client populations. She believes in an individualized, evidence-based approach to treating speech and language disorders. The way a child understands and expresses themselves is paramount to familial, academic, and social success. Speech and language begin within the first couple of months of development. Speech and language therapy addresses a child’s communicative need and provides intervention to help the child reach their communicative potential.
Speech Therapy
When most people think of speech therapy, the first thing that comes to their mind is articulation. While articulation is part of speech therapy, it involves more than pronunciation. Speech therapy also helps people overcome communication problems associated with voice, fluency, language, oral motor, and swallowing.
Speech Therapy for Children's
Delays in these areas may be due to:
Hearing
Impairments
Developmental or
Cognitive Delays
Autism or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Weak Oral
Muscles
Birth Defects such as Cleft Lip / Palate
Speech Therapy for Adult
When most people think of speech therapy, the first thing that comes to their mind is articulation. While articulation is part of speech therapy, it involves more than pronunciation. Speech therapy also helps people overcome communication problems associated with voice, fluency, language, oral motor, and swallowing.
Delays in these areas may be due to:
Hearing
Impairments
Developmental or
Cognitive Delays
Autism or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Weak Oral
Muscles
Birth Defects such as Cleft Lip / Palate
Speech Intelligibility
Speech intelligibility refers to how a child articulates his words, how he uses his voice, and how smoothly words flow off his tongue. Intelligible speech is speech that is readily understood even by strangers.
Auditory Processing
Auditory processing is the brain’s interpretation of heard information. This is what enables a person to pick up on verbal cues, follow directions, and develop good phonemic awareness + comprehension skills.
Language Processing
Language processing is the way that verbal and non-verbal communication is understood, organized and filed by the brain. It includes the expression of language through gestures and speech and is a prerequisite for learning, communication, and functioning.
Oral Motor Skills
and Sensory Awareness
Oral motor skills enable the muscles of the mouth and jaw to speak, eat, and swallow. Oral sensory awareness refers to the brain’s level of sensitivity to sensory input in the oral cavity.
Pragmatic Language Skills
Pragmatic language skills are social skills that enable communication which is needed for meaningful interactions and relationship building.
AAC (Augmentative and
Alternative Communication)
AAC refers to communication devices, systems, strategies and tools that replace or support natural speech. These tools support a person who has difficulties using speech to communicate.
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