1) Articulation & Phonology Program

This approach is administered for individuals with speech sound disorders like Apraxia, Dysarthria, Resonance and Phonological processing disorder.

Signs and symptoms of functional speech sound disorders include the following:

omissions/deletions — certain sounds are omitted or deleted (e.g., "cu" for "cup" and "poon" for "spoon")

substitutions —one or more sounds are substituted, which may result in loss of phonemic contrast (e.g., "thing" for "sing" and "wabbit" for "rabbit")

additions —one or more extra sounds are added or inserted into a word (e.g., "buhlack" for "black")

distortions —sounds are altered or changed (e.g., a lateral "s")

syllable-level errors —weak syllables are deleted (e.g., "tephone" for "telephone")

Articulation approaches target each sound deviation and are often selected by the clinician when the child's errors are assumed to be motor based; the aim is correct production of the target sound(s).

Phonological/language-based approaches target a group of sounds with similar error patterns, although the actual treatment of exemplars of the error pattern may target individual sounds. Phonological approaches are often selected in an effort to help the child internalize phonological rules and generalize these rules to other sounds within the pattern (e.g., final consonant deletion, cluster reduction).

 

2) Academic Issues:

a) Learning Disability : It can be tough to face the possibility that your child has a learning disorder. No parents want to see their children suffer. You may wonder what it could mean for your child’s future, or worry about how your kid will make it through school. Perhaps you’re concerned that by calling attention to your child’s learning problems they might be labeled “slow” or assigned to a less challenging class.

But the important thing to remember is that most kids with learning disabilities are just as smart as everyone else. They just need to be taught in ways that are tailored to their unique learning styles. By learning more about learning disabilities in general, and your child’s learning difficulties in particular, you can help pave the way for success at school and beyond.

Common types of learning disabilities

Dyslexia – Difficulty with reading
     • Problems reading, writing, spelling, speaking

Dyscalculia – Difficulty with math
      • Problems doing math problems, understanding time, using money

Dysgraphia – Difficulty with writing
      • Problems with handwriting, spelling, organizing ideas

Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder) – Difficulty with fine motor skills
      • Problems with hand-eye coordination, balance, manual dexterity

Dysphasia/Aphasia – Difficulty with language
      • Problems understanding spoken language, poor reading comprehension

Auditory Processing Disorder – Difficulty hearing differences between sounds
      • Problems with reading, comprehension, language

Visual Processing Disorder – Difficulty interpreting visual information
      • Problems with reading, math, maps, charts, symbols, pictures.

b) ADHD and ADD :

Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) both affect people’s ability to stay focused on things like schoolwork, social interactions, and everyday activities like brushing teeth and getting dressed.

The biggest difference between ADD and ADHD is that kids with ADHD are hyperactive. They have trouble sitting still and might be so restless that teachers quickly notice their rambunctious behavior and suspect there might be attention issues involved. On the other hand, kids with ADD might fly under the radar because they aren’t bursting with energy and disrupting the classroom. Instead, they often appear shy, “daydreamy” or off in their own world.

Technically, ADD is one of three subtypes of ADHD. The term ADD is still used by many parents and teachers. But since 1994, doctors have been calling it by its formal name: ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type. The other two subtypes are ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type; and ADHD, Combined Type, which involves both hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms.

 

3) Stuttering Intervention:

Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by repetition of sounds, syllables, or words; prolongation of sounds; and interruptions in speech known as blocks. An individual who stutters exactly knows what he or she would like to say but has trouble producing a normal flow of speech. These speech disruptions may be accompanied by struggle behaviors, such as rapid eye blinks or tremors of the lips. Stuttering can make it difficult to communicate with other people, which often affects a person’s quality of life and interpersonal relationships. Stuttering can also negatively influence job performance and opportunities, and treatment can come at a high financial cost.

What are the causes and types of stuttering ?
The precise mechanisms that cause stuttering are not understood. Stuttering is commonly grouped into two types termed developmental and neurogenic.

Developmental stuttering Developmental stuttering occurs in young children while they are still learning speech and language skills. It is the most common form of stuttering. Some scientists and clinicians believe that developmental stuttering occurs when children’s speech and language abilities are unable to meet the child’s verbal demands. Most scientists and clinicians believe that developmental stuttering stems from complex interactions of multiple factors. Recent brain imaging studies have shown consistent differences in those who stutter compared to nonstuttering peers. Developmental stuttering may also run in families and research has shown that genetic factors contribute to this type of stuttering. Starting in 2010, researchers at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) have identified four different genes in which mutations are associated with stuttering. More information on the genetics of stuttering can be found in the research section of this fact sheet.

Neurogenic stuttering Neurogenic stuttering may occur after a stroke, head trauma, or other type of brain injury. With neurogenic stuttering, the brain has difficulty coordinating the different brain regions involved in speaking, resulting in problems in production of clear, fluent speech.

At one time, all stuttering was believed to be psychogenic, caused by emotional trauma, but today we know that psychogenic stuttering is rare.

Many of the current therapies for teens and adults who stutter focus on helping them learn ways to minimize stuttering when they speak, such as by speaking more slowly, regulating their breathing, or gradually progressing from single-syllable responses to longer words and more complex sentences. Most of these therapies also help address the anxiety a person who stutters may feel in certain speaking situations.

 

4) Autism Treatment :

What Are Signs Of Autism?
The signs and symptoms of ASD are unique to each individual and can range from mild to severe. Here are some of the more common early warning symptoms:

Lack of eye contact

Absence of babbling

Engagement in repetitive movements and activities known as “stimming” including rocking back and forth, head banging and hand flipping

Resistance to affection

Difficulty bonding

Lack of facial expression

Loss of previously acquired skills

Extreme resistance to changes in daily routine

Speech and nonverbal communication as well as social interaction are the most common problems for individuals diagnosed with ASD which is why speech-language therapy is a central part of treatment. Our treatment will set goals during the therapy designed to help your child communicate in the most functional and socially-appropriate way, including mastering spoken language or learning non-verbal communication skills.

 

5) Aphasia(stroke) Rehabilitation:

Aphasia is an acquired neurogenic language disorder resulting from an injury to the brain—most typically, the left hemisphere. Aphasia involves varying degrees of impairment in four primary areas:

Spoken language expression

Spoken language comprehension

Written expression

Reading comprehension

Depending on an individual’s unique set of symptoms, impairments may result in loss of ability to use communication as a tool for life participation (Threats & Worrall, 2004).

A person with aphasia often has relatively intact nonlinguistic cognitive skills, such as memory and executive function, although these and other cognitive deficits may co-occur with aphasia.

Treatment Approaches

Treatment can be restorative (i.e., aimed at improving or restoring impaired function) and/or compensatory (i.e., aimed at compensating for deficits not amenable to retraining).

From the perspective of the WHO’s (2001) ICF framework, approaches aimed at improving impairments focus on “body functions/structures.” Approaches aimed at compensating for impairments are directed at “activities/participation.” The outcomes of both treatment approaches may extend across domains (Simmons-Mackie &Kagan, 2007).

 

6) Voice Treatment :

What is a Voice Disorder?

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association | ASHA “A Voice Disorder occurs when voice quality, pitch, and loudness differ or are inappropriate for an individual’s age, gender, cultural background, or geographic area.”

An Organic Voice Disorder can be the result of a medical problem such as a nodule, polyp, cyst or other benign lesion. Dysphonia is one type of voice disorder, specifically related to a physical disorder of the mouth, tongue, throat, or vocal cords.

Functional Voice Disorders refer to disorders that result from improper or inefficient use of your voice when the physical structure is normal, such as vocal fatigue.

Other voice disorders are classified by individuals themselves who find their voice do not meet their daily needs or is not effective for their profession. The latter is most often individuals in sales, teachers, professional speakers, clergy etc.

Many clinicians begin by

Identifying behaviours that are contributing to the voice problems, including unhealthy vocal hygiene practices (e.g., shouting, talking loudly over noise, coughing, throat clearing, and poor hydration) and

implementing healthy vocal hygiene practices (e.g., drinking plenty of water and talking at a moderate volume) and practices to reduce vocally traumatic behaviours (e.g., voice conservation).

 

7) Parkinson’s Disease/ Parkinsonism Disorder:

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, which leads to progressive deterioration of motor function. PD is diagnosed by a neurologist and typically appears after the age of 60, though early onset Parkinson’s can also occur prior. The progression of the disease and the extent of impairment is extremely individual.

What Are Signs Of Parkinson’s Disease?

Speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing signs of Parkinson’s Disease include:

Soft speech (quiet voice)

Monotone voice

Reduced facial movements

Memory deficits

Difficulty swallowing

Excessive salivation

A Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) can help improve swallowing, voice, and communication skills that are common manifestations of PD. The therapist can teach strategies to overcome communication deficits including soft speech, Dysarthria (slurred speech), Aphasia (a language disorder), and/or changes in memory, organization, problem solving or cognition.