How Speech Therapist Help Develop Verbal & Non-Verbal Skills

A pediatric Speech and language therapist do more than many people think. Not only do they work with children to assist them communicate effectively, they also help them develop their verbal and non-verbal language skills. 

But that isn’t all, they also help with swallowing and feeding abilities, both of which take a lot of muscles to accomplish. 

Improving communication skills for children of all ages – from newborns to teenagers – 

Speech 

“Speech disorders occur when a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with their voice or resonance,”
 ASHA. Therapist treat voice disorders, decrease stuttering (disfluency), and improve articulation. 

Receptive Language 

Working with children understand others, processing and understand information. For instance, listening and following directions. Asking a child to pick up a book and put it on the shelf, takes a lot of understanding. Knowing what a book is, where the bookshelf is, and the action of picking it up and placing it on the shelf. 

Expressive Language 

Helping children produce and combine the right words to communicate outwardly. Expressing their needs and wants, as well as haring information. Instead of just saying “juice”, they are taught to say “I want juice”

There are a many reasons why a child may see a speech language pathologist:

Having trouble swallowing or feeding, age appropriate liquids or foods are unable to safely swallow. 

Has issues articulating particular sounds

Has difficulty speaking fluently, such as stuttering 

Struggling to communicate with age appropriate words and phrases

Has trouble understanding information, questions or directions. 

Issues regulating behavior or organizing information

Every child is unique, some start talking at an early age and comprehend everything said to them. While others may not talk quite so much or have a difficult time listening.

Speech-language therapy give children and their caregivers the tools they need to help improve their language skills in a fun and motivating environment.

Early intervention is key

When speech – language issues are identified early, treatment has positive results. If you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to contact First Words Therapy. We take a holistic approach to speech-language-therapy to help your child communicate more effectively.