What is Speech and Language Therapy?
Speech and Language Therapy is the assessment and treatment to help and support children improve overall communication. Some children experience speech difficulties such as articulation, pitch, fluency, and resonance issues. Our Speech and Language programme will help them feel more confident and less frustrated when speaking to others and in communicating their needs.
This also focuses on children with language difficulties, such as receptive (difficulty in understanding the language), expressive (difficulty putting words together) and pragmatic (difficulty using language in socially appropriate ways). Children can benefit socially and emotionally by communicating effectively and developing good relationships.
Our qualified Speech and Language Therapist will develop a customized intervention plan for your child after assessing his or her strengths and weaknesses before commencing therapy sessions.
Bridging the Gap Speech Therapy Programme:
What is the Difference?
At Bridging the Gap, our speech therapy sessions are held in a conducive and less-stimulating environment in small groups, or mostly one-on-one. As part our “all-inclusive” early intervention program, our speech therapy sessions are conducted on a weekly basis and is reinforced by the early interventionist daily.
Speech therapy exercises and activities vary depending on your child’s disorder, age, interests, and needs. During speech therapy for children, the Speech and Language Programme will include:
- Interactions through play, and usage of high-motivating toys/activities as part of speech and language intervention to help stimulate language development
- Modelling correct sounds and syllables for a child during age-appropriate play to teach the child how to make certain sounds
- Provide strategies and homework for the child and parent or caregiver on how to reinforce speech therapy at home
- Ensures that the skills children learn are transferrable out of the therapy room and into the classroom setting or home setting. Communicating strategies with the teachers and the caregivers so that the child’s learning is facilitated across most settings
- Being flexible and refining the goals as the child’s communication profile changes or improves
- Being creative and incorporating the goals into the activities that the children like to play/ do to ensure maximum engagement and motivation on the task
Our Speech and Language Therapists’ Qualifications & Certifications
Our Speech and Language Therapists have attended the following:
- Picture Exchange Communication System – Level 1
- DIR Floortime 101
- Social Thinking Framework by Michelle Garcia Winner
- Hanen program – More Than Words
- Lidcombe Program of early stuttering intervention
- Smooth Speech Techniques for stuttering intervention
- O.R.E: Integrating the Mouth with Sensory and Postural Functions
- 3-part treatment plan for Oral Placement Therapy
What is the Speech Therapy Process? What Steps are Involved?
1. Initial Assessment
Our speech and language therapist will conduct and informal assessment through play / motivating activities to identify the child’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Formal Assessment
A thorough assessment will be conducted to find out the underlying conditions affecting the child’s communication. Moreover, to understand a child’s communication profile across different settings, e.g., at the centre, with caregivers.
3. Goal Setting
- Setting individualized goals for each child based on their zone of proximal development (next most achievable goal based on their current level of development)
- Goals must bring about a functional improvement, either in the child’s communication with their significant others or in the child’s academic learning
How Can Speech and Language Therapy Help Your Child?
- It helps in developing conversational and communication skills to improve interactions with others
- It helps in communicating or expressing thoughts, ideas, and needs in a clearer way
- Its helps in behaving in various social situations and settings appropriately
- It helps in following rules for conversation which includes personal space and choice of words
- It helps in improving articulation and clarity of words for less confusion and frustration from both communicator and communication partner(s)
- It helps to understand non-verbal communication skills such as facial expressions or body language
- It helps in choosing and putting together words in a sentence that make sense
- It helps in understanding the meaning of more words and how to use them
- It helps in using alternative communication devices such as picture exchange communication systems, AAC or text-to-speech programs
What are the Signs to Look Out for in a Child That May Require Speech and Language Therapy?
- Children who struggle to imitate the sounds made by others
- Production of sounds a child makes decreases instead of increasing
- Makes only a few or poor-quality sounds
- Shows difficulties following commands and instructions
- Slow understanding of new words
- Cognitive changes such as decreased memory or problem-solving skills
- Has difficulties communicating basic needs
- Child not combining words by 18 months of age
- Child stops saying sounds or words he or she had previously mastered
- Has difficulty or is not responding to directions, questions, or conversations with others
- Struggles to or is not able to initiate conversations with others
- Child is not fluently speaking by 3 ½ years
- Child has changes in their communication or cognition following an injury or surgery
- Non-verbal children or hearing impaired
I have been seeing great improvements on my child in terms of the clarity of his words. So happy to hear that he has been using his words to say what he wants. And I’m grateful that I can finally have a conversation with my son!
My little girl has been very shy and doesn’t have the courage to talk and play with her friends because most of the time she is not understood by her friends. Now, she is more confident and does not speak so fast now. Happy with what we have been seeing from our daughter!
My daughter is always so excited to go to Bridging the Gap! She loves the gym and the teachers too. Me and my wife are so relieved to see her so eager to go to school. Also, we are happy to see that she can say what she wants, and she also starts to play with us at home too.