The goal of providing Speech-Language Therapy Services is to help your child to improve their abilities to communicate at an age-appropriate level. Children learn best in a supportive environment where their interests are engaged and where they can experience and be rewarded for success. Our therapists use motivating and fun activities to encourage children, capture their interest, and provide successful and motivating experiences in order to help children to progress in their skills and to develop a love for learning.
The length of time a child will require therapy services depends on many factors. There is no cook book which can tell us how long it will require. Factors which affect the amount of time required for therapy include:
- The age of the child
- Early vs. Later Intervention
- The severity of the delay
- Frequency of Service Delivery
- Implementation of home program and parental involvement
- Other Factors
Most commonly, children are seen weekly for two 30 minute appointments. Once a week one hour appointments are available upon request, however, it is more optimal to see children with more frequency during the week. Parents usually consult with their Speech-Language Pathologist to determine a frequency which will be most beneficial for their child. More serious disorders typically require more therapy for longer periods of time. Therapists are trained to design intervention sequences which are carefully designed to begin at the childs current skill level and continue to build targeted skills until the desired outcome is reached. It is a process to reach that desired end. Some children will show immediate improvements and some children may show slow and steady improvement. Children progress through therapy with different patterns of skill acquisition and at different rates. There is no way to predict what those patterns and rates will be. Early intervention, frequency of service delivery, and implementation of home program/parental involvement can play a significant role in helping children to make better progress throughout their therapy.