Speech Language Pathology can help your child if they are having trouble verbalizing or understanding conversations. Speech therapy, also known as speech language pathology, helps children overcome communication, language and swallowing problems.
What is Speech Language Pathology ?
It may surprise you to learn that nearly one in every 1,000 Ontario babies are born deaf. Speech Language Pathology helps prevent and treat communication disorders, speech and swallowing disorders. These healthcare professionals provide patients and their families with education, training and counselling.
If your child is in need of speech therapy, you can look for these signs.
If your child has one or more of the following disorders, they may require speech therapists help.
- Cognitive (intellectual or thinking) or developmental delay
- Autism
- Articulation problems
- Weak oral muscles
- Birth defects like cleft lips or palates
- Disorders of feeding or swallowing
- Traumatic brain injury
- Chronic hoarseness
- Problems with motor planning
- Hearing impairments
The Importance of Pediatric Speech Therapy
Early Intervention: Pediatric speech therapy focuses on addressing communication issues early in a child’s life. Early intervention can have a significant impact on a child’s academic and social success, overall development, and social interactions. Early identification and treatment of speech problems allows for more efficient and effective treatment. This sets the stage for an improved future.
Holistic development: Speech Therapy for Children goes beyond simple correction of speech sounds. This holistic approach takes into account language development, oral-motor coordination, and social communication skills. Pediatric speech therapy helps a child to feel confident and well-rounded by nurturing these aspects.
Common Speech Challenges for Children
Articulation Disorders: Articulation disorders involve difficulties in forming or pronouncing specific speech sounds. This can affect a child’s social interaction and self-esteem, as well as their ability to communicate.
Language delays:Language delay can be manifested as difficulties in understanding or expressing words and sentences appropriate for the child’s age. It can lead to difficulties in expressing ideas, understanding instructions and making meaningful connections.
Phonological Disorders: Phonological disorders relate to difficulties in organizing and using speech sounds within a language. Children with phonological disorder may substitute, omit or distort sound, affecting the overall intelligibility.
Orofacial issues: Orofacial issues involves improper function of the muscles and structures within the mouth and face. Speech, swallowing and facial development can be affected.
Autism Spectrum disorders: Children with autism spectrum disorders often have unique communication challenges. These individuals benefit from pediatric speech therapy by supporting their language development, social skills, and pragmatic abilities.
How Speech Language Pathologists can Help
Speech Language Therapists can help children with speech disorders and language disorders. Speech disorders are problems with sound production, while language disorder is a difficulty understanding words or putting them together to form an idea.
Common Speech Disorders
- Articulation disorders and phonological disorders : difficulty pronouncing sounds or syllables, making it difficult for listeners to understand what’s being said.
- Resonance and voice disorders: difficulties with pitch, volume or the quality or the voice that will distract the listener.
- Fluency Disorders: Stuttering, repetition of words and sounds, and repeated syllables. Other secondary behaviours include hesitations in speaking and motor movements that are associated with stuttering.
Common Language Disorders
- Receptive disorders: difficulty understanding oral language.
- Expression language disorders: difficulties in expressing yourself through speech. A child who has expressive language disorder might have a limited vocabulary, be unable to string words together or use language in an inappropriate way.
- Cognitive-communication disorders: problems with memory, attention, perception, organization, and problem solving that affects a child’s communications skills.
A speech-language pathologist can also help children who have dysphagia or eating disorders, which affect a child’s capacity to eat and drink. This includes problems with chewing and swallowing as well as coughing and gagging.
Publicly Funded Options for Speech Therapy Related Services
There are several options for funding services to treat speech and language disorders, depending on the condition of your child.
- Contact your local infant hearing program to get a hearing screening as soon as possible.
- For a free evaluation, contact your local Program for Preschool Speech and Language. This program is completely free and does not require a doctor’s referral.
- School Health Support Services are provided by Local Health Integration Networks to children who attend public or private schools as well as homeschooled children. Speech language pathology is one of the health support services that is provided at no cost. You can find out more by reading the eligibility requirements or guidelines.
- Assistive Devices Program (e.g. Hearing aid coverage.
Options for Private Payment of Speech Therapy Related Services
You can also pay privately to receive additional speech therapy.
Enter your postal code to find a speech-language pathologist. You can also select the type of practice you are looking for (e.g. On the Ontario Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists site, you can find a speech language pathologist by entering your postal code and selecting the type of practice (e.g.
The cost of hiring a speech-language pathologist by yourself can range from $100 to $200, depending on whether the session is in a one-on-one setting or a group. OSLA’s Recommended fee schedule for Speech Language Pathology Services in Ontario.
A speech language pathologist can be hired directly by an organization or agency. These agencies often have strict policies and procedures to ensure that the highest level of care is delivered. They are accredited by third-party organizations.
