Speech and Language Department

Language Milestone Chart | Vocal Hygiene | Hearing Loss | Helpful Activities

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a highly-trained professional who evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty with speech or language. Although people often think of speech and language as the same thing, the terms actually have very different meanings. If your child has trouble with speech, he/ she struggles with the “how-to” of talking—the coordination of the muscles and movements necessary to produce speech. If your child has trouble with language, he/she struggles with understanding what he/she hears or sees. Your child may struggle to find the right words and/or organize those words in a meaningful way to communicate a message or hold a conversation.

An SLP also evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty swallowing food or liquid. An SLP will help identify what part of the swallowing process is making it difficult for your child to eat (e.g., chewing, manipulating food with the tongue, coordinating mouth and throat structures and muscles, breathing appropriately while eating).

What Do SLPs Treat?

Speech Disorders

Articulation – the way we say our speech sounds
Phonology – the speech patterns we use
Apraxia – difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed to make speech sounds
Fluency – stuttering
Voice – problems with the way the voice sounds, such as hoarseness

Language Disorders

Receptive Language – difficulty understanding language
Expressive Language – difficulty using language
Pragmatic Language – social communication; the way we speak to each other

Other Disorders

Deafness/Hearing Loss – loss of hearing; therapy includes developing lip-reading, speech, and/or alternative communication systems
Oral-Motor Disorders – weak tongue and/or lip muscles
Swallowing/Feeding Disorders – difficulty chewing and/or swallowing

Language Milestone Chart

The course of children’s development is mapped using a chart of developmental milestones.

These milestones are behaviors that emerge over time, forming the building blocks for growth and continued learning. Some of the categories within which these behaviors are seen include:

Cognition (thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, understanding)
Motor coordination (gross/fine motor, jumping, hopping, throwing/catching, drawing, stacking)
Social interaction (initiating peer contact, group play)
Adaptive (dressing, eating, washing)

See milestones by age on the LD OnLine website.

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Vocal Hygiene

Vocal Hygiene is a daily regimen of good habits to maintain the health of your vocal folds. These include eliminating inappropriate vocal habits and situations that place unnecessary wear and tear on the voice and common sense behaviors which contribute to efficient voice production and overall vocal health.

See tips for keeping your voice healthy here.

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