OUR SERVICES

Speech/Articulation

is the ability to produce speech sounds accurately and with precision. For example, a 4 year old who is trying to communicate but is unable to be understood. As a guideline 3 year olds should be understood 60% of the time, 4 year olds 80% of the time, and 5 year olds 95% of the time by an unfamiliar listener.

Language

is the ability to comprehend sentences, stories and instructions, formulate sentences, relate words together, to use language appropriately in a social manner, as well as one’s range of vocabulary. An example of a child with language difficulties may be the child who is constantly in trouble for “not listening” in school when in fact they do not understand what is being asked of them, or a child who has difficulties telling a story in logical sequence, with poor grammar and sentence structure.

Literacy

is the ability to blend and segment sounds for reading and spelling. It requires phonological awareness skills (building blocks for reading and spelling), visual memory and processing skills, as well as language skills for word prediction and reading comprehension. An example of a child with literacy difficulties may be the child who has troubles acquiring letter-sound relationships, rhyming skills and recognition of sight words for reading, or can not perceive the patterns between words for spelling i.e. spelling rules.

Auditory Skills and hearing impairment

is the ability to process and discriminate between sounds heard. An example of a child with auditory impairments may be the child who presents with language, speech and/or literacy difficulties and often is reported to have issues with concentration, following instructions, remembering and recalling information, sequencing of information and hearing in the presence of background noise.

Swallowing

is the ability to eat and drink safely. In children, swallowing problems may present as difficulties transitioning from pureed foods to solid foods, or gagging and choking on foods.

Stuttering

is the inability to talk fluently. In children, stuttering presents as sound, part or whole word repetitions at the beginning of words and/or associated secondary behaviors such as word substitution, facial grimacing, and avoidance of communicative environments.

Voice

is the ability to use a clear voice for speaking and projection. Voice disorders often present as a husky, breathy, or croaky voice quality with an inability to talk for prolonged periods of time, sing or use vocal range, and project the voice.

Alternative and augmentative communication

is the use of a communication aids such as communication books, gestures, sign language, and technological devices.

Speech

is the ability to produce speech sounds accurately and with precision. For example, in some neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis or Motor Neurone Disease, there may be dysarthria or slurring of speech. Apraxia of speech is another motor speech condition in which the person knows what they want to say but can not correctly and voluntarily articulate or sequence the sounds in order to produce a word. Speech may also be affected in English Second Language learners where an accent or lack of some English speech sounds may greatly effect intelligibility.

Language

is the ability to comprehend sentences, stories and instructions, formulate sentences, relate words together, to use language appropriately in a social manner, as well as one’s range of vocabulary. Adults with language difficulties such as aphasia, may have an inability to name objects, formulate sentences, understand or follow instructions and participate in conversations due to difficulties with either comprehension or expression. Conditions which may result in these difficulties include strokes, dementia and head injuries.

Swallowing

is the ability to eat and drink safely. The first sign of swallowing difficulties may be coughing or choking when eating and drinking, temperature spikes and recurrent chest infections. Swallowing difficulties in adults often occur as a result of strokes or neurological involvement, throat cancers and head and neck injuries. There may also be challenging behaviors associated with swallowing and eating skills in cognitive impairments such as dementia.

Stuttering

is the inability to talk fluently. In adults, stuttering presents as sound, part or whole word repetitions at the beginning of words and/or associated secondary behaviors such as word substitution, facial grimacing, and avoidance of communicative environments.

Voice

is the ability to use clear voice for speaking and projection. Voice disorders often present as a husky, breathy, or croaky voice quality with an inability to talk for prolonged periods of time, sing or use vocal range, and project the voice. Voice disorders are extremely common amongst professional voice users such as teachers, singers, auctioneers and actors. Voice issues can also occur after surgical intervention, or in conjunction with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Alternative and augmentative communication

Adults who have difficulty communicating due to severe speech and/or language impairments may be assisted by the use of communication aids such as communication books, gestures, sign language, and technological devices.

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OUR SERVICES

Children

Speech/Articulation

Language

Literacy

Auditory Skills and hearing impairment

Swallowing

Stuttering

Voice

Alternative and augmentative communication

Adults

Speech

Language

Swallowing

Stuttering

Voice

Alternative and augmentative communication