Our Speech/Language Pathologists help children learn to communicate more effectively. For children who are nonverbal or preverbal, we utilize a variety of techniques including sign language and picture symbols to decrease communication frustration for the child and his/her parents right away. Our therapists are trained in DIR®/Floortime strategies to increase engagement and purposeful interaction, and we work closely with parents to develop and implement effective tools at home. Many children referred to Emerge have difficulty with articulation. We use multisensory cueing to increase awareness of correct mouth positioning and facilitate improved self-monitoring of speech. We value the input and support of parents during every step of the process, from evaluation, to developing treatment goals, to home carryover and progress assessments. The therapists at Emerge use a child-centered approach to interactions, building on each individual child’s interests to encourage and enhance communication.
The impact of speech and language delays and disorders on children’s classroom performance is well-documented. According to one study, 73% of 2nd graders identified as poor readers had phonemic awareness and/or oral language deficits in Kindergarten (Catts, 1999). At Emerge, we offer LiPS®, Visualizing and Verbalizing®, and Talkies®, three specialized Lindamood-Bell programs.
- LiPS® is a phonological awareness program appropriate for children who have difficulty with decoding and spelling. The LiPS® program divides sounds into groups by their place and manner of articulation, so it is ideally suited for children with sound production deficits. LiPS® incorporates multisensory techniques to enhance retention.
- Visualizing and Verbalizing® is a step-by-step program designed to build concept imagery as the basis for oral and writing language. Visualizing and Verbalizing® is appropriate for children who have difficulty comprehending the content of what they read. They may be able to recall some details from a story, but they have trouble telling what the story was about and making predictions and inferences. Visualizing and Verbalizing® improves ideation and the use of descriptive language.
- Talkies® is a primer to the Visualizing and Verbalizing program. Talkies® works in smaller steps than Visualizing and Verbalizing® and is appropriate for younger children (pre-K through 1st grade) and those who need more help to develop imagery skills.
Here are some signs of communication difficulties:
- No words by 1 ½, or no two-word combinations by 2 ½
- Grunting/gesturing instead of using words to request, respond, or give information
- Difficult to understand, even for familiar listeners
- Difficulty producing consonant sounds
- Stuttering past the typical period of disfluency (after age 3-4)
- Difficulty following a conversation in order to add relevant information and stay on topic
- Poor decoding of unknown or nonsense words
- Difficulty answering questions about a reading passage
- Unable to identify the main idea of a story
- Unable to /slow to develop an idea for a story or classroom assignment
- Difficulty following complex or multi-step directions
- Poor retention of auditory information in the classroom setting