Speech and Language Therapy
Certified Speech and Language Pathologists will work in conjunction with the child’s therapy team implementing and monitoring language, social and play goals set out in the individual therapy plan. Therapy is a center-based services and may consist of one-on-one therapy, social language groups or co-treatment with an Occupational Therapist or Developmental Educator dependent on the child’s needs. Speech and Language Therapy shall be dedicated to developing the communication skills of children. Baselines shall be established using assessment tools. Appropriate goals shall be selected from the following areas:
- Preverbal skills
- Semantics
- Syntax
- Pragmatics
- Voice
- Articulation
- Fluency
Through the use of specialized therapy designs and models, selected goals shall be achieved using evidence-based practice. Alternative and augmentative communication tools, such as computers, sign language, pictures boards or the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) may be used to fa-cilitate functional communication skills.
SLT Assessments and Evaluations
CEIMC takes pride in ensuring your child’s evaluation utilizes the most-up-to-date and valid assessment materials. Our speech and language assessment is outlined below and includes:
- Case history
- Standardized testing (including related checklists, observations, and spontaneous speech/language sample), and
- Scoring test(s), analyzing data, and typing up the formal assess-ment report.
Before the initial consultation, a case history form will be sent either via email or courier. This form should be completed in its entirety before the first assessment visit. The case history provides the clinician with relevant background and medical history, which may provide possible reasons or contributing factors for the child’s speech and/or language difficulties. It also helps the clinician to determine what further questions need to be addressed in making a differential diagnosis.
If the case history form is not returned or incomplete prior to the assessment session, the clinician will need to gather the case history information during the initial consultation. It is important to note that when parents fail to complete the case history form, it often results in scheduling an additional session in order to complete testing.
Once the case history form is completed and reviewed by the clinician, standardized testing will be performed along with observations (including speech/language samples), examinations (Ex. Oral Motor Mechanism Examination) and possible checklists related to the area(s) being assessed. The purpose for administering standardized assessments is to make comparisons of your child’s speech and/or language development to those of his/her age-matched peers. Furthermore, it aids the clinician in determining if a delay or disorder exists. If testing is unable to be completed in a single one-hour session, regardless of the reason, additional assessment sessions will need to be scheduled until testing is finished.
Once testing and observations (including speech/language samples) are completed, the clinician will develop a compre-hensive written assessment report, which involves a thorough analysis and interpretation of the assessment results. It is estimated that three billable hours will be provided to complete this portion of the assessment. This report is considered a medical record and provides parents and other professionals, who may be working with your child, informa-tion regarding the child’s strengths and weaknesses in the areas of speech and language skills.
Furthermore, additional referrals or pertinent information in fostering the child’s speech and language development may be noted. Lastly, it will indicate whether Speech and Language therapy is warranted, the recom-mended frequency and duration of treatment, and the initial treatment goals/objectives; which were developed based on the assessment results.
After the initial assessment process is completed, a half-hour parent meeting will be scheduled to review and discuss your child’s assessment results.