Speech Therapy- I have a smile on my face as I begin writing this blog about this topic.
My Favorite Speech Language Pathologists
This blog post makes me smile for several reasons. The top reason why I smile when I think about SLP is because I think of all the wonderful speech therapists who I know.
- 1) My beautiful and smart sister. She is a speech therapist of a completely different field, but we still share our love of therapy. She specializes in swallowing and acute patient care. She supports people who have been through the most horrific trauma and accidents. She helps rehabilitate them but also holds their hands and loves them through it all. She is one of my favorite people in the world.
- 2) Our amazing Conquer speech therapists. I am so proud of the Conquer speech therapists who help so many families around the St. Louis and St. Charles communities. They amaze me with their expertise in speech and language skills. Their devotion and care for their families is apparent in every single session and conversation they have. We are a better company because of our speech and language pathologists.
- 3) My wonderful speech therapy friends. From my time at Francis Howell, my work in early intervention, and my friends who are speech therapists. I have learned so much from them. I spent hundreds of hours working with some of the most phenomenal speech language pathologists.
Speech Language Pathologists’ Impact
Along with thinking of my favorite SLPs, I think of all the individuals who have witness benefitting from speech and language therapy services. I smile thinking of all the children who have learned to find their voice. The children who learn to express their thoughts and communicate what they know, and want. I think about the kids who have learned how to socialize with others appropriately. The ones who overcome their communication difficulties and begin speaking loud and proud. It brings tears to my eyes thinking of the kids who I have watched impacted by this beautiful service.
SLPs are Experts
For those of you who are not as familiar with speech/ language therapy services, I want to take a couple minutes to explain a few of the many ways SLPs help their clients.
- Articulation is how to say the words and sounds you need to say for people to understand you.
- Fluency is the specific rate and rhythm that you use your voice.
- Voice & Resonance relates to your voice and the way sounds come out of your mouth and nose.
- Phonological processes are the way speech sounds relate to language (ie- blends, spelling, reading, syllables).
- Expressive Language is the ability to use language to share your thoughts.
- Receptive Language is the ability to to understand what others say.
- Vocabulary Development is your knowledge of the meaning of words.
- Pragmatic Language is the understanding and sharing words for social purposes.
- Social Communication is when you use communication for social interaction and understanding social norms.
- Cognitive Communication relates to your attention, sequencing, memory and planning in order to properly communicate,
- Dysphagia is your ability to effectively eat and drink.
- Recommendations and training of Augmentative Communication Devices in order to communicate.
While it is not extensive, it certainly feels like a huge skillset.
“ There are many specific skills that speech and language pathologists address, but when you get to the root of it, they are life changers.”
The acts of communicating, socializing, eating/ drinking, and interacting impact all aspects of one’s life. Speech and language pathologists make a huge difference in this world.
If you are concerned about your child’s speech, the American Speech- Language- Hearing Association has created a resource to check your child’s development. Check out the resources below to check your child’s development as well as finding some practical ways you can help work on their development.
Your Child’s Communication Development: Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade
For more specifics for all age groups, some good resources can be found here…
https://www.asha.org/slp/schools/prof-consult/norms/
If you have speech concerns for your child, contact us today to schedule an evaluation with one of our wonderful therapists!