Areas of Service
Articulation/Speech Sound Disorders
Having a hard time understanding what your child is saying? Is your child late to talk or using fewer words than would be expected for his/her age? Is your child constantly being asked to repeat himself or herself? Does your child seem to struggle to put sounds into words?
Depending on your child's age, some of the above may be completely normal. A speech-language pathologist can help you to better understand whether an issue exists and what you can do to help your child struggle less and be better understood.
Expressive & Receptive Language Delay
Difficulties producing and understanding language can have profound educational and social implications. Concerned about how well your child is able to translate his/her thoughts into words? Does your child seem to produce fewer or shorter sentences than his/her peers? Are words missing or grammar errors present? Does your child seem to have a hard time keeping up with conversation or following instruction? Concerned that your child is not learning on par with his/her classmate?
All of the above may be indicators of an Expressive (production) or Receptive (comprehension) language delay. Early identification and intervention is vital to supporting your child's language development. Understanding the nature of the problem is the first step. AO SLP Services provides complete and thorough language assessments to help you and your child's teachers to better understand how your child is using and processing language.
Social Communication
Does your child seem to have a hard time self-regulating? Miss important social cues? Struggle to follow along with a group or navigate peer relationships? Miss conversational turns or monopolize the topic?
While social skills naturally develop over time, some children may experience difficulty developing the necessary flexibility, social insight, and communication skills necessary to successfully navigate the social world. For these children, direct teaching of social thinking and communication skills can dramatically change social outcomes.
Early Literacy and Reading Development
You've brought home the books and done the reading. Your child loves to listen to you read to him/her but doesn't seem to understand how to hold a book the right way. Your child knows his name but can't point to it on his cubby. Maybe you've noticed that your child doesn't grasp the concept of rhyme or isn't able to clap syllables in words. Sounds and Letters don't seem to be connecting. Decoding is effortful and, despite hours of repetition, it just isn't clicking. Sound familiar? Your child may be showing early signs of literacy learning issues. Confused where the breakdown is occurring? A complete evaluation will help you to better understand where the gaps in learning are occurring so that you can maximize the support that you are providing at home.
Already recognize that there is an issue but needs some help targeting skills at home? Need some ideas? Some helpful hints? With access to multiple literacy learning programs, AO SLP Services might just have the tool that your child needs.
Executive Function Disorders
Ever feel like a broken record? Constantly cueing and reminding your child to complete various home and school-based tasks? Does your child seem to struggle to plan and organize? Stall when it comes to initiating a task? Have difficulty holding ideas in memory while solving problems? Lose focus easily or have trouble sequencing tasks?
All of the above may be indicative of Exeucutive Function Difficulties that can significantly impact a child's day to day function. AO SLP Services offers comprehensive assessments that allow for a thorough investigation of executive functioning skills and real-life recommendations to help your child thrive.
Getting Started
While finding the right clinician is an important part of the process, understanding your reasons for seeking support is another. Some helpful questions to ask yourself before you begin this process include:
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How much do I really know about this communication issue? Do I need more information before I make a decision?
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How has the communication difficulty impacted my child? Where do I see my child having difficulty relative to his/her peers?
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What do I expect therapy to look like? What will my role be? How much can I realistically commit to this process?
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If I could change three things for my child, what would they be?
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If I could learn three things, what would they be?
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What skills would make life easier for my child?
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Is now the best time for my child to begin therapy?
Still unsure if Assessment and Intervention are right for your child?
Contact me to get the conversation started. There is no obligation to commit to service- my goal is to provide you with as much information as you need in order to best support your child.
