What is Speech Therapy?

Speech- language therapy is recommended for children who experience difficulty in understanding language, processing verbal information, expressing themselves, articulating speech sounds, speaking fluently, voicing correctly, interacting/ communicating with others, and/ or feeding and swallowing issues typically. Speech therapists at Noor Zainab work on helping children from birth to 18 years old, to gain abilities to become more effective communicators and improve feeding and swallowing abilities. The speech therapists’ goal is to assist children in learning new skills and becoming independent communicators through a variety of structured and non-structured activities.

Why Speech / Language Therapy?

Communication is an essential component of learning and development that begins in infancy and continues throughout adulthood. A baby’s first cries are their way of communicating basic needs- hunger, pain, boredom, etc, and then quickly develop into coos and squeals to communicate happiness and joy. A typically developing child then learns the importance of using words, gestures, body language, and facial expressions as means to express wants, needs, and feelings. All children need to communicate in some form. Children who are demonstrating difficulty with their communication abilities may not be able to successfully express themselves, gain independence, have good self- esteem, benefit fully in educational learning and development, and build healthy relationships.

Speech-Language Evaluations

A comprehensive speech-language evaluation will look at the following:
If concerns are noted, we will also evaluate a child’s voice (pitch, rate, and loudness) and fluency (stuttering). Additionally, we may also assess oral motor and/or feeding skills if a child is having difficulty chewing, swallowing, or tolerating different textures.
Our therapists will thoroughly explain the results of the evaluation and make specific recommendations, including individualized goals. Families will also be provided with a report that give the details of the results of the evaluation, including their child’s strengths and weaknesses, and a specific treatment plan (if applicable). Your child may be referred to other specialists for additional assessment or treatment.

Treatment

Noor Zainab Speech-Language Therapists identify areas of need, evaluate, and provide ITP (Individualized Treatment Plans). Our Speech-Language Therapists use a combination of child directed and therapist directed approaches to target a variety of areas, including the following:

Specialized Treatment

Speech- Language Therapists at Noor Zainab have also advanced their areas of training in the following treatment approaches:

Your child may benefit from speech-language therapy if they have demonstrated:

Developmental Speech and Language Milestones

The first 3 years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing, is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. These skills develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others.
These are critical periods for speech and language development in infants and young children when the brain is best able to absorb language. If these critical periods are allowed to pass without exposure to language, it will be more difficult to learn.

What are the milestones for speech and language development?

The first signs of communication occur when an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and companionship. Newborns also begin to recognize important sounds in their environment, such as the voice of their mother or primary caretaker. As they grow, babies begin to sort out the speech sounds that compose the words of their language. By 6 months of age, most babies recognize the basic sounds of their native language.
Children vary in their development of speech and language skills. However, they follow a natural progression or timetable for mastering the skills of language. A checklist of milestones for the normal development of speech and language skills in children from birth to 5 years of age is outlined below. These milestones help doctors, speech-language pathologists, and other health professionals determine if a child is on track or if he or she may need extra help. Sometimes a delay may be caused by hearing loss, while other times it may be due to a speech or language disorder.
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Speech and Language Milestones

Birth to 3 Months

4 to 6 Months

7 Months to 1 Year

1 to 2 Years

2 to 3 Years

3 to 4 Years

4 to 5 Years

Birth to 2 Years:

At Age 2 if:

At Age 3 if:

At Age 4 if:

At Age 5 if: