Pediatric Speech and Language Therapy
Communication affects a child’s ability to express themselves, socialize and achieve academic success.
Pediatric speech and language disorders affect nearly 1 in 12 American children between the ages of 3 and 17, with the highest prevalence among children ages 3 to 6.
Without proper intervention, these disorders can cause frustration that may impact a child’s home and school life.
Our speech-language pathologists at RWJBarnabas Health are professionals trained in the anatomy, physiology and function of speech sound production and feeding skills as well as cognition and language development. They are deeply knowledgeable and able to help children and their families establish better communication and feeding skills that improve their quality of life.
Through a family-centered approach, our treatment team actively involves the child’s family and caregivers in therapy.
Who Can Speech and Language Therapy Help?
Speech therapy can be beneficial for children with:
- ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Autism
- Aphasia
- Speech sound production disorders (articulation, phonological processing, apraxia of speech)
- Language-based learning disabilities
- Fluency disorders/stuttering
- Brain injury
- Orofacial myofunctional disorders (tongue thrust)
- Feeding or swallowing problems
Treatment Options
Because no two children are completely alike, each pediatric patient undergoes individualized therapy from a certified speech-language pathologist. Treatment may include:
- Cognitive rehabilitation
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
- Teaching accurate speech sound production
- Receptive and expressive language strategies
Treatment can improve a child’s vocabulary, articulation, understanding and use of language, pragmatic skills, feeding skills and much more.