Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a
Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)?
According to the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association, an SLP
is defined as:
"Speech-Language Pathologists
help people develop and optimize their communication abilities and
treat
speech, language, and voice disorders. Their services include
prevention,
screening, consultation, assessment and diagnosis, treatment,
intervention,
management, counseling, and follow-up services for disorders. They
diagnose
and treat articulation, cognitive-communication, fluency, language,
resonance,
swallowing, and voice disorders across the age spectrum provide
communication,
literacy and pre-literacy services to children in schools and
pediatric-health
care settings ... provide services to modify or
enhance
communication performance, such as accent modification, improvement of
the
professional voice, and personal/professional communication
effectiveness..."
Who are the
clients you normally serve?
SLPs serve a broad range of clients who have
communication challenges.
Clientelle spans all age ranges, ability levels, and medical
diagnoses. Children between the ages of 18 months and 36 months
who are not developing their dominant language as expected are
typically seen by an SLP. The first three years of language development
is very critical to the later academic and social abilities of a child.
Therefore, if parents are concerned about their child's development,
they should seek services of an SLP as soon as possible. Older children
are also treated by SLPs, namely, children having difficulties with
academic performance or social
interaction due to weak speech or language skills, children who are
difficult to understand due to misarticulation or phonological
disorders, sound distortions (e.g. lisping). Those who
are at risk for communication difficulties (e.g. children who were born
prematurely,
medically fragile children, drug exposed, children who lost oxygen at
birth) are typically treated early in their lives on a
preventative basis. Individuals
may also have developmental delays or communication problems frequently
associated with medical conditions such as Autism, PDD, Asperger's
Syndrome, Cleft-Lip Palate,
Hearing Impairment, Down syndrome or other genetic disorders, cerebral
palsy, stroke, or progressive central nervous system diseases (such as
Parkinson Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.).
How often will
I need to come and how long will therapy last?
Individual therapy sessions vary
depending upon client factors but typical frequency of sessions for a
severity of mild to moderate are one
time per week for 45 minutes or 60
minutes or two times per week for 30 minutes. If a child has a severe
disability, the total time of therapy recommended per week would most
likely greatly increase. Frequency (sessions/week) and duration
(whether the client requires one month, months,
or years of therapy) depend upon client severity, disorder, motivation,
attendance
record, learning abilities, maturity, and possible other factors. This
will be discussed on an individual basis with the parents or client.