Speech

Helping children with speech development.

Read Aloud Program

One of the most important things a parent can do to set their child up for success is to read to them! From the moment children are born, they need exposure to as many words as possible. Here are three tips for parents of young children that can promote speech and cognitive development:

1. Help build your baby’s brain by reading at least 15 minutes a day. Reading promotes language development and exposes your baby to new words.

2. Talk to your child while doing activities. Talk to kids about topics of their interest. Describe what you see happening or what you or your child are doing to build language and vocabulary.

3. Encourage all people who interact with your baby to use vocabulary building strategies. Listen to kids to encourage them to share their ideas and thoughts. Engage children in conversation and talk with them about their day.

Child Resources

Below are some resources that detail communication skills parents should expect to see in their child by age and how to support children’s development released by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

Click your child’s age range below for easy activities to support your child’s growth!

Birth-3 months

4-6 months

7-12 months

1-2 years

2-3 years

3-4 years

4-5 years

Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a developmental, neurologic disorder of motor planning that disrupts a child’s ability to produce and sequence speech sounds, syllables, and words. The child knows what they want to say, but the brain does not send the correct instructions to move the articulators the way they need to be moved to produce speech.

CAS is not the result of structural problems or muscle weakness. Some characteristics of CAS can include inconsistent sound errors (i.e., saying the same word differently every time), vowel errors, prosody errors (i.e., pitch and rhythm of speech), increased difficulty pronouncing longer words, effortful production of speech-sounds or words, and difficulty sequencing from one sound / syllable to another.

Assessment of CAS

The assessment process for CAS is dynamic and ongoing. Often an Articulation Disorder is first identified via standardized assessment measures; a diagnosis of CAS may be reached after a child is seen in therapy for a period of extended time where characteristics consistent with CAS are noted. A combination of extensive formal and informal testing, long-term observation of the child’s patterns of speech, and parent / caregiver interviews are needed before a diagnosis of CAS is concluded.

Treatment of CAS

Intervention for the child diagnosed with CAS focuses on improving the planning, sequencing, and coordination of motor movements for speech production. The intervention must be intensive (two or more sessions per week is strongly recommended) for optimal results.

Locations

Bellevue Clinic

Kirkland Clinic

Redmond Clinic

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