Find resources here to help you learn more about Speech-Language Pathology & answer questions you may have about your child. Check back often as we will continue to add to this page.
The Wide Spectrum of
Speech Language Pathology
Speech Language Pathology
"I know you're a Speech Language Pathologist, but what do you REALLY do?!"
Many people do not fully know or understand the role of a Speech Language Pathologist and what really happens during therapy. It is my goal to help bring others to a general understanding of what it is, the importance of it, and why I love what I do!
Speech Language Pathology (SLP) is a broad field that encompasses many age groups and even more different therapies for an array of impairments, disabilities, syndromes, delays, injuries, etc. This field continues to grow and is so diverse that it would be difficult to pinpoint one single definition of Speech Language Pathology. For time's sake, I will focus on the areas of SLP that I mostly deal with and that I might be interested in pursuing in the future.
We don't just fix lisps and help kids learn to say /r/! While Articulation Therapy seems to be the most widely known aspect of SLP, it is not the only aspect!
Speech Disorders
common processes. This is not an exhaustive list but will give you an idea of what you might be
hearing in other's mis-articulated speech:
>Velar fronting: The /k/ & /g/ sounds are made by making contact between the back of
the tongue and the velum (soft palate). Sometimes these sounds are mis-articulated as /t/
& /d/ by making contact between the tip of the tongue and the alveolar ridge (hard palate
just behind the front teeth). For instance: /cow/ sounds like /tow/.
> Palatal fronting: Same concept as velar fronting, except palatal sounds /sh,zh,ch,j/ are
affected. For instance: /shoe, vision, cheer, juice/ sounds like /sue, vizzin, seer, zuice/.
> Final Consonant Deletion: Final sounds of words may be left off when speaking. For
instance: /boot/ sounds like /boo/.
> Initial Consonant Deletion: Initial sounds of words may be left off when speaking. For
instance: /cow/sounds like /ow/.
> Intervocalic Consonant Deletion: Sounds in the middle of words (weak position) may be
deleted when speaking. For instance: /kitty/ sounds like /ki_y/.
> Consonant Cluster Reduction: Consonant clusters are sounds that are produced in
succession and do not have vowels between them. A child may reduce the cluster of
consonants while speaking. For instance: /scream/ sounds like /seam/
> Assimilation: Sounds may be produced to sound more like another sound in the same word.
For instance: /yellow/ sounds like /lellow/. Anticipatory Assimilation: a sound changes to
resemble a sound that follows it /dog/ sounds like /gog/. Perseveratory Assimilation a
sound changes to resemble a sound that has already occurred /dog/ sounds like /dod/.
> Stopping: Fricative consonants /s, z, f, v, th, sh, zh/ and affricates /ch, j/ are produced by
air flowing through a narrow opening between two articulators. If the articulators are
pressed together instead of allowing space for the air to flow, a stop consonant /p,b,t,d/ is
produced instead. For instance: /shoe/=/to/, /zoo/=/doo/, /fee/ = /pee/.
words, and/or phrases during speech. Children who struggle with dysfluency may also present with
concomitant movements such as tensing of the facial muscles or whole body in order to compensate and
elicit speech.
a voice disorder when he was young which caused paralysis of one of his vocal folds (aka: vocal
chords).
language or dialect being carried over into the production of Standard American English (SAE). The goal
of accent modification or reduction therapy is not to "erase" the person's original accent but to
facilitate an increase in the production of a SAE accent.
- Expressive Language - Difficulty using spoken and/or written language.
- Pragmatic/Social Language - Difficulty understanding and using social communication. Children who have
been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder typically have difficulty understanding and using social
rules. For instance: proper eye contact, proper body language, greeting others, introducing & maintaining
conversation, etc.
- Comprehension Deficit - Difficulty understanding word meaning, sequencing skills, and problem solving.
- Language Processing - Difficulty attaching meaning to auditory information and formulating an expressive
response.
focus on its intonation or rhythm, on the fact that certain words rhyme, and on the separate sounds.
and spoken/written language every day. Pre-literacy encompasses language development, the ability to
communicate ideas, wants, and needs, identification of letters, numbers, sounds, emotions, objects in
pictures, actions, etc. By the time children reach kindergarten, they should be able to use literacy skills
such as writing, coloring, identifying letters and sounds. Eventually, they will be able to combine what
they've learned with what they see in order to read written language.
There is a difference between learning to read and reading to learn. Pre-literacy skills put children on
the path to learning to read. Literacy skills put children on the path to reading to learn.
performing oral motor exercises (OMEs), activities such as blowing bubbles/whistels, using straws,
and chewing in order to increase muscle awareness and strength. Treatment also includes structured
practice of non-speech and speech movements in order to train muscles.
(lisping). These are usually characterized by a flat, weak tongue that constantly pushes against the front
teeth, resulting in malocclusion, open bites, mouth breathing, poor articulation, and immature swallow
patterns. Orofacial myofunctional therapy focuses on increasing tongue strength, reducing flaccidity,
and reducing tongue thrust, which increases speech intelligibility and results in a mature swallow pattern.
area is extremely diverse and specific to the person.
at all after a stroke or other brain injury. The type and severity of dysarthria depends on which area
of the nervous system is affected. Some causes of dysarthria include stroke, head injury, cerebral
palsy, and muscular dystrophy. Both children and adults can have dysarthria.
a blow to the head or a violent jolt of the body and head. It can also be caused by an object penetrating
the skull and brain (such as a bullet or being impaled). TBI can cause a multitude of symptoms including
slurred speech, loss of cognitive ability, loss of memory, difficulty managing and accurately expressing
emotions, and difficulty eating correctly.
and non-verbal communication, speech production, language development, fine and gross motor development,
gastrointestinal difficulties, attention issues, and repetitive behaviors. ASD might also co-occur with
intellectual disabilities.
have a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. Clefts can happen on only one side of the face or on both
sides. A cleft can go only part way through the lip or palate or all the way through. Sometimes
there is an opening in the bony part of the palate that is covered by a layer of thin tissue. You may
not be able to see this opening because it is covered. This is called a submucous cleft palate. A
cleft palate leaves an opening between the roof of the child's mouth and his nose.
skills, articulation therapy, voice therapy, integration of sign language with spoken language, etc.
Speech Language Pathology (SLP) is a broad field that encompasses many age groups and even more different therapies for an array of impairments, disabilities, syndromes, delays, injuries, etc. This field continues to grow and is so diverse that it would be difficult to pinpoint one single definition of Speech Language Pathology. For time's sake, I will focus on the areas of SLP that I mostly deal with and that I might be interested in pursuing in the future.
We don't just fix lisps and help kids learn to say /r/! While Articulation Therapy seems to be the most widely known aspect of SLP, it is not the only aspect!
Speech Disorders
- Articulation: The way we say our speech sounds. For instance: /fun/ vs /pun/
- Phonology: The speech patterns we use.
common processes. This is not an exhaustive list but will give you an idea of what you might be
hearing in other's mis-articulated speech:
>Velar fronting: The /k/ & /g/ sounds are made by making contact between the back of
the tongue and the velum (soft palate). Sometimes these sounds are mis-articulated as /t/
& /d/ by making contact between the tip of the tongue and the alveolar ridge (hard palate
just behind the front teeth). For instance: /cow/ sounds like /tow/.
> Palatal fronting: Same concept as velar fronting, except palatal sounds /sh,zh,ch,j/ are
affected. For instance: /shoe, vision, cheer, juice/ sounds like /sue, vizzin, seer, zuice/.
> Final Consonant Deletion: Final sounds of words may be left off when speaking. For
instance: /boot/ sounds like /boo/.
> Initial Consonant Deletion: Initial sounds of words may be left off when speaking. For
instance: /cow/sounds like /ow/.
> Intervocalic Consonant Deletion: Sounds in the middle of words (weak position) may be
deleted when speaking. For instance: /kitty/ sounds like /ki_y/.
> Consonant Cluster Reduction: Consonant clusters are sounds that are produced in
succession and do not have vowels between them. A child may reduce the cluster of
consonants while speaking. For instance: /scream/ sounds like /seam/
> Assimilation: Sounds may be produced to sound more like another sound in the same word.
For instance: /yellow/ sounds like /lellow/. Anticipatory Assimilation: a sound changes to
resemble a sound that follows it /dog/ sounds like /gog/. Perseveratory Assimilation a
sound changes to resemble a sound that has already occurred /dog/ sounds like /dod/.
> Stopping: Fricative consonants /s, z, f, v, th, sh, zh/ and affricates /ch, j/ are produced by
air flowing through a narrow opening between two articulators. If the articulators are
pressed together instead of allowing space for the air to flow, a stop consonant /p,b,t,d/ is
produced instead. For instance: /shoe/=/to/, /zoo/=/doo/, /fee/ = /pee/.
- Apraxia
- Fluency
words, and/or phrases during speech. Children who struggle with dysfluency may also present with
concomitant movements such as tensing of the facial muscles or whole body in order to compensate and
elicit speech.
- Voice
a voice disorder when he was young which caused paralysis of one of his vocal folds (aka: vocal
chords).
- Accent Modification/Reduction Therapy
language or dialect being carried over into the production of Standard American English (SAE). The goal
of accent modification or reduction therapy is not to "erase" the person's original accent but to
facilitate an increase in the production of a SAE accent.
- Language Disorders
- Expressive Language - Difficulty using spoken and/or written language.
- Pragmatic/Social Language - Difficulty understanding and using social communication. Children who have
been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder typically have difficulty understanding and using social
rules. For instance: proper eye contact, proper body language, greeting others, introducing & maintaining
conversation, etc.
- Auditory Processing and Comprehension Deficits
- Comprehension Deficit - Difficulty understanding word meaning, sequencing skills, and problem solving.
- Language Processing - Difficulty attaching meaning to auditory information and formulating an expressive
response.
- Phonological Awareness
focus on its intonation or rhythm, on the fact that certain words rhyme, and on the separate sounds.
- Pre-Literacy (Emergent Literacy) and Literacy
and spoken/written language every day. Pre-literacy encompasses language development, the ability to
communicate ideas, wants, and needs, identification of letters, numbers, sounds, emotions, objects in
pictures, actions, etc. By the time children reach kindergarten, they should be able to use literacy skills
such as writing, coloring, identifying letters and sounds. Eventually, they will be able to combine what
they've learned with what they see in order to read written language.
There is a difference between learning to read and reading to learn. Pre-literacy skills put children on
the path to learning to read. Literacy skills put children on the path to reading to learn.
- Oral-Motor Disorders
performing oral motor exercises (OMEs), activities such as blowing bubbles/whistels, using straws,
and chewing in order to increase muscle awareness and strength. Treatment also includes structured
practice of non-speech and speech movements in order to train muscles.
- Oral-Myofunctional Disorders
(lisping). These are usually characterized by a flat, weak tongue that constantly pushes against the front
teeth, resulting in malocclusion, open bites, mouth breathing, poor articulation, and immature swallow
patterns. Orofacial myofunctional therapy focuses on increasing tongue strength, reducing flaccidity,
and reducing tongue thrust, which increases speech intelligibility and results in a mature swallow pattern.
- Swallowing/Feeding Issues
area is extremely diverse and specific to the person.
- Dysarthria
at all after a stroke or other brain injury. The type and severity of dysarthria depends on which area
of the nervous system is affected. Some causes of dysarthria include stroke, head injury, cerebral
palsy, and muscular dystrophy. Both children and adults can have dysarthria.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
a blow to the head or a violent jolt of the body and head. It can also be caused by an object penetrating
the skull and brain (such as a bullet or being impaled). TBI can cause a multitude of symptoms including
slurred speech, loss of cognitive ability, loss of memory, difficulty managing and accurately expressing
emotions, and difficulty eating correctly.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
and non-verbal communication, speech production, language development, fine and gross motor development,
gastrointestinal difficulties, attention issues, and repetitive behaviors. ASD might also co-occur with
intellectual disabilities.
- Cleft Palate/Lip
have a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. Clefts can happen on only one side of the face or on both
sides. A cleft can go only part way through the lip or palate or all the way through. Sometimes
there is an opening in the bony part of the palate that is covered by a layer of thin tissue. You may
not be able to see this opening because it is covered. This is called a submucous cleft palate. A
cleft palate leaves an opening between the roof of the child's mouth and his nose.
- Hearing
skills, articulation therapy, voice therapy, integration of sign language with spoken language, etc.
