Speech Sound Therapy
for Adults & Children
Speech develops from birth and typically take 8 years to fully master. When speech isn’t progressing as expected, your child may have a Speech Sound Disorder, which can affect behaviour, social skills, and learning. Early intervention is key to overcoming these challenges and supporting your child’s development.
Speech Sound Disorder is an “umbrella” term used to describe a range of different types of problems with developing normal speech. Speech is complex and involves several different structural, motor, sensory, linguistic and neurological systems. A problem in any one of these systems can lead to a problem with speech.
Signs and Symptoms of
Speech Sound Disorder
The clearest sign that your child might have a speech sound disorder is that other people have difficulty understanding what they say. Parents are often good at interpreting their own child’s speech, but if others find it hard. This might be because the child’s speech is not following the normal developmental patterns.
These are some of the errors that might make a child hard to understand:
- Deleting sounds or syllables (e.g. bag as “ba”; spider as “pider”; banana as “nana”)
- Substituting sounds (e.g. car as “tar”; animals as “amimals”)
- Distorted sounds (e.g. unusual vowels; lisp; “slushy” sounding speech)
- Adding sounds (e.g. black as “buhlack”)
- Changing the sequence of sounds (e.g. ask as “aks”)
How can a Speech Pathologist Help?
Initially, the speech pathologists will conduct a screening of your child’s speech and oral-motor development to identify whether your child’s speech is typical for their age. If there appears to be a problem, the speech pathologist can then carry out a comprehensive assessment to make a correct diagnosis and to develop a treatment plan.
The speech pathologist will choose the best treatment approach to suit the specific type of speech sound disorder that is impacting your child’s speech. Consideration are made on your child’s age, stage of development, and your family’s needs. The speech pathologist will help you to learn what you are able to do to support your child at home or school.
Enquire About Speech Therapy Today
Whether you’re concerned about your child’s speech development or seeking support for an adult, our experienced speech pathologists are here to help. Early intervention can make a significant difference in communication skills, social confidence, and learning. If you’ve noticed signs of a speech sound disorder or need guidance, reach out today. Simply fill in the form below, and our team will be in touch to discuss your needs and the next steps.
For more information, feel free to call us at (03) 6234 5717.
