What are Speech and Feeding Therapy about?
Licensed Speech-Language Pathologists assess and provide therapy to address disorders related to speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing, and fluency. Therapy is provided to help facilitate effective communication for daily functioning, social development, and academic success. Speech-Language Pathologists develop an individualized plan of care, tailored to the needs of each patient. The therapists at IPT take a naturalistic approach to therapy. Goals are addressed through activities that are enjoyable and motivational to the individual child. The therapy goals, approaches, and treatment plans vary for each child, depending on the specific needs of that child and family.
I am so grateful to Sally and her whole staff for making therapy fun, safe and so successful!
- Jenni
Feeding, Oral and Motor
Oral-Motor Therapy helps the child to gain better awareness of, and control over the muscles in their mouth. Many different types of fun and interesting techniques are used to address the individual child's needs. The ultimate goal is to facilitate clear speech production and safe feeding ability, as well as decrease drooling and stress on the teeth.
Feeding therapy is provided for feeding difficulties related to structural, sensory, medical and/or behavioral issues including:
- Reduced or limited intake
- Food refusal
- Food selectivity by type and/or texture
- Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties)
- Oral motor deficits
- Delayed feeding development
- Food or swallowing phobias
Jacob...was comfortable with his therapists from the start.
- Caron
Will my child benefit?
You may know a child who, although bright, has difficulty using a pencil, playing with toys, or doing self-care tasks, like dressing or getting ready for school. Perhaps you have seen a child so fearful of movement that ordinary swings, slides, or jungle gyms generate fear and insecurity. Or maybe you have observed a child whose problems lie at the opposite extreme of being uninhibited and overly active, often falling and/or running headlong into dangerous situations. In each of these cases, a sensory integrative problem may be an underlying factor. Its far-reaching effects can interfere with academic learning, social skills, motor development, and self esteem.