Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) is a specialised intervention for children experiencing challenges with speech, language, and communication. This therapy enhances children’s ability to communicate effectively, positively impacting various aspects of their lives. Additionally, pediatric speech pathologists may also assist children facing difficulties with eating or swallowing.
Almost 1 in 11 children, aged 5 years, have speech and language difficulties. Speech and language needs are the commonest types of special educational needs in children aged 4-11 years old.
Speech and language disorders are sometimes seen on their own (primary) and at other times accompanying other conditions such as Autism, Intellectual disability, and Down’s syndrome (secondary).
Our speech therapists provide support for children and young people up to 17 years old. Ideally, treatment should begin as early as possible, as younger children tend to achieve better outcomes.
In working with children and families, our language and speech therapy for kids will:
- Carry out a thorough assessment of a child’s speech, language, and communication needs, including specialist assessments if required.
- Develop personalised therapy plans
- Work closely with the family to implement home programs
- Collaborate with and provide advice to schools to support the child’s communication needs and therapy plan
- Refer to other professionals if needed
How does speech therapy for kids work?
Our speech and language therapists work with a child individually or in small groups. They work closely with the child’s parents.
The pediatric speech pathologists at our well-being centres usually provide one or both of the following interventions:
- Language activities: The SLT will interact and communicate with a child by playing and talking using pictures, books or objects to stimulate language development. They will do exercises with the child to build language skills.
- Articulation activities: The SLT will model and demonstrate the correct sounds and syllables in words and sentences, often engaging the child through play activities. The SLT will guide the child in producing specific sounds they may be struggling with, offering support and encouragement throughout the process.
- Fluency activities: The SLT will work on delayed speech and fluency enhancement and stuttering modification techniques in order to allow the individual to gain more confidence in his communication abilities. This will be done through fun activities adjusted to the age and interests of the child.
- Higher-level cognitive abilities activities: Language is one of the person’s cognitive abilities; its acquisition is highly dependant on other cognitive skills. Depending on the difficulties noted, the pediatric speech pathologist will stimulate the abilities pertaining to language to allow better oral and written language acquisition.
- Oral Motor activities: Speech and language therapy may use a variety of oral exercises — including various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises — to strengthen the muscles of the mouth. The activities are carefully selected to stimulate the same movements used for speech production.
- Literacy Activities: the children’s speech therapist will support the child by introducing different approaches to acquiring letters, reading, and writing strategies, in the most fun and easy way.
Types of speech and Language Disorders treated at Aspris
We treat a diverse range of speech and language disorders at Aspris Wellbeing Centre, including:
- Articulation Disorder: Difficulty in pronouncing sounds or words correctly, making it challenging to understand the child at times.
- Fluency Disorder: Issues with the smoothness of speech, such as stuttering.
- Receptive Language Disorder: The child has trouble understanding or processing what is being said to them.
- Expressive Language Disorder: Challenges in effectively communicating thoughts, including finding the right words, having a limited vocabulary, and applying grammar rules.
- Pragmatic Difficulties: Trouble using language appropriately in social settings, despite being able to form correct sentences.
- Reading and Writing Disorders: children, regardless of whether they have oral language difficulties, may face challenges in developing reading and writing skills for various reasons. They might confuse letters that look or sound similar, struggle to apply grammatical rules, and have trouble conveying information in writing or comprehending what they read.
Does my child need speech and language therapy?
If your child has any of the following difficulties, speech therapy for kids is likely to be of help:
- Not reacting to sudden noise by 3 to 4 months
- Not babbling by the age of 9 months
- Not pointing to show the adult something by the age of 12 months
- Not using at least 20 words by the age of 18 months
- Not showing interest in others around him at the age of 2 years
- Showing selectivity in eating
- Lacking interest in books, games, or toys played with another person
- Not putting consistently two words together by the age of 2 years
- Not being understood at least 50% of the time by either familiar or less familiar people around him by the age of 2 years
- Not being able to answer simple questions
- Needing gestural support or simplification of a message to understand
- Repeating recurrently sentences and questions
- Drooling frequently
- Repeating sounds, words, or phrases while talking, affects the fluidity of his speech
- Not producing speech sounds accurately
- Not putting two actions together to make a short story during play, by the age of 3 years
- Not being able to tell a short story by the age of 4 years
- Confusing between letters in reading and/or writing
Speech and language therapy should begin as soon as possible, that’s why we highly advise speech therapy for toddlers. Children who start therapy earlier tend to have better results than those who begin later. This doesn't mean that older children won't do well in therapy, but their progress might be slower. So in case your child is suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, book a consultation for speech therapy near me at our wellness centers in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
What Will Happen Once My Child Comes to the Aspris Speech Therapy Department?
- Intake consultation: On your first visit, an intake consultation will take place with the therapist. During this meeting, the speech therapist will gather information about the patient. The intake will help the therapist identify the main difficulties and to judge whether therapy can be started straightaway or if further assessment is required.
The intake consultation is an important step to help both the family and the clinician get to know each other, as they shall be active partners during therapy. - Structured Assessment: If the intake consultation highlights a need for formal assessment, tests will be carried out as part of a comprehensive evaluation of the different aspects of communication. At the Aspris, we use formal standardised testing tools along with clinicians’ observations. Merging both is important in seeing the child holistically as well as respecting their cultural and linguistic specificities.The assessment ends with a thorough written report presented to the family, compiling all its findings.
The assessment ends with a thorough written report presented to the family, compiling all its findings. - Therapy: Speech and language therapy usually starts with setting up therapy goals. These goals will be revised periodically, depending on the needs and challenges of the child as well as his/her improvement and the feedback of the family.
Book an assessment today and receive effective treatment for your child.
For further information about our Children and Adolescent Services call today at: (+971) 4 245 3800 (Dubai) / (+971) 2 651 8111 (Abu Dhabi) or submit an inquiry form in confidence. We will provide you with details on all our treatments and offer help on how to support your child's or teenager's mental health and well-being.