Speech/Language Therapy
Preschool speech-language pathologists evaluate and treat children with language and speech sound disorders.
Your child is preschool age if they are 3 to 5 years old and has not yet started kindergarten. They may have problems following directions or understanding questions. They may have trouble learning new words or saying sentences. Your child can have problems with both. This is a language disorder.
Your child may also have trouble saying sounds clearly. This is a speech sound disorder.
Some children have problems understanding, called receptive language. They may have trouble:
- Understanding what people mean when they use gestures, like shrugging or nodding
- Following directions
- Answering questions
- Pointing to objects and pictures
- Knowing how to take turns when talking with others
Some children have problems talking, called expressive language. They may have trouble:
- Asking questions
- Naming objects
- Using gestures
- Putting words together into sentences
- Learning songs and rhymes
- Using correct pronouns, like "he" or "they"
- Knowing how to start a conversation and keep it going
- Changing how they talk to different people and in different places. For example, you speak differently to an adult than a young child. You can talk louder outside than inside.
Speech and language therapy sessions can be provided individually or in a group setting. Sessions can also take place in the classroom or outside of the classroom.
If you have questions or concerns with your child’s speech and language skills, please contact the speech department at the AASD Learning Express Preschool: 814-946-8465 ext 5217.