Assessment Services
A speech-language pathologist assesses your child's speech, language, and communication abilities to determine whether a communication problem exists. Assessment identifies a child's communication strengths and weaknesses and identifies goals for therapy. Parent interview, observation, and formal testing are procedures used to assess children. Play-based and informal testing procedures are emphasized with very young children and with children who are difficult to formally test (e.g. children with autism).
The specific areas tested during assessment are determined by the concerns identified at the time of referral and may include: oral motor functioning, articulation skills, expressive vocabulary and grammatical development, understanding of language, fluency, vocal quality, social communication skills, pre-reading, early reading, spelling, and written language abilities.
Individual Therapy Services
Individual speech and language therapy sessions are available to children who are experiencing any type of communication difficulty. During therapy sessions, children are engaged in games and activities that are designed and/or selected to teach specific communication goals. Therapy sessions are always fun and most times, children do not even know they are working hard to learn essential skills! Parents are active participants in their child's therapy program. Parents may observe therapy sessions directly and are encouraged to ask questions and to practice with their child at home between therapy appointments.
Individual therapy services are provided by speech-language pathologists, or by our communicative disorders assistant who works under the direction of a speech-language pathologist. The frequency of therapy sessions varies from child to child and is determined by carefully considering the severity of the child's difficulty as well as numerous practical factors (e.g. finances, additional publicly funded services available to the child, family schedule and availability).
Group Therapy Services
Specialized group therapy programs are scheduled throughout the year and offer children an opportunity to practice their communication skills within a peer group setting. All group programs are facilitated by a registered speech-language pathologist. Other staff may include a qualified communicative disorders assistant and students and/or volunteers completing post-secondary studies in related fields.
The following group programs are offered. Browse group descriptions or click on the group name to take you directly to the program description.
Please contact our office directly for information on group program schedules and space availability. |
