Karla M. Paz CCC-SLP PLLC

Speech and Language Therapy may be necessary for a variety of communication disorders.  Some individuals may present with difficulty in speech production, while others may have difficulty understanding or processing language.  In addition, others may require intervention to address social communication difficulties or reduce the anxiety related to speaking Some individuals may also present with difficulties that affect their academic performance and may struggle with reading, due to reduce knowledge of the basic principles of sounds or difficulty processing sounds and letters effectively. 

In particular, a speech deficit refers to a difficulty with the actual production of sounds. If a client has trouble with speech, he or she has difficulty with the “how-to” of talking.  Some clients may present with articulation or phonological deficits.  In speech therapy, the client will work on increasing their ability to produce sounds at the sound, word, phrase, sentence, and ultimately spontaneous conversational level.  In addition, clients may work to learn the correct placement of the articulators and the manner in which the sounds are produced. With repeated intensive exposure to the target phoneme pattern, the client will ultimately be able to produce the sounds independently at all levels of communication. Our center can provide traditional speech therapy alone or can use a combination approach, which incorporates PROMPT therapy.

Furthermore, some clients may have difficulty producing fluent and or organized speech, which can lead to a communication breakdown.     A client may be an individual who stutters or may be considered a person who clutters.  Individuals who present with these types of difficulties require intensive fluency or cluttering intervention. Therapy may encompass various techniques to control and/or organize their speech production, as well as counseling to help them develop a healthy understanding of what their disorder entails and how to cope with the social demands it may bring on their lives.

When a client has trouble with language, he or she may have difficulty understanding what they hear or read, which may suggests a receptive language difficulty. This may lead to issues following directions, completing tasks, understanding messages presented orally and or in writing, and completing daily tasks in their daily lives.  In addition, individuals may also present with an expressive language disorder, which affect their ability to express their thought and ideas effectively. 

Individuals with language difficulties may present with a reduced semantic and /or morphological system (vocabulary and grammar), which may lead to difficulty producing grammatically correct sentences. Furthermore, they may have difficulty finding the right words say or organizing their thoughts effectively, orally and in writing. Others may struggle with organizing those words into a meaningful and complete message, thus causing a breakdown in communication. In speech therapy, a client will work on increasing their vocabulary and utterance length, as well as solidifying their knowledge of grammar, all while gaining tools to help them obtain and or get messages across, to the best of their abilities.

Some client’s may also require speech and language therapy to learn about age appropriate social skills or reduce an anxiety of speaking (selective autism). They may work on social aspects of everyday interactions such as eye contact, greetings and turn taking, which will ultimately be beneficial in their everyday lives.  In addition, clients with selective mutism, work to build their confidence and reduce their anxiety levels associated with speaking.  Working to improve these areas is a very important part of academic and socio-emotional success.