
I have thousands of hours of experience working with children to improve their communication skills. Listed below are some of the issues that can be helped with therapy.
It is important to understand that the issues listed here are not the child’s fault, but are recognised conditions that can benefit from professional help. If you want to know more, email me on voxspeech@gmail.com.
A speech disorder refers to a problem with making sounds.
- Articulation disorders: Problems with making sounds in syllables, or saying words incorrectly so that listeners can’t understand what’s being said.
- Fluency disorders: Problems such as stuttering, in which the flow of speech is interrupted by unusual stops, partial-word repetitions, or prolonging sounds and syllables.
- Resonance or voice disorders: Problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what’s being said. This may also cause pain or discomfort for a child when speaking.
A language disorder refers to a problem understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas.
- Receptive disorders are problems with understanding or processing language.
- Expressive disorders are problems with putting words together, having a limited vocabulary, or being unable to use language in a socially appropriate way.
- Cognitive-communication disorders are problems with communication skills that involve memory, attention, perception, organisation, regulation, and problem solving.
Literacy:
The awareness of what sounds are and how they come together to make words is known as Phonological Awareness. This includes the ability to rhyme, segment words into syllables and single sounds, blend sounds together, identify sounds in different positions in words and manipulate sounds within words. Phonological awareness is an important pre-literacy skill because if there are problems in this area it can often lead to reading and writing difficulties.