Charlotte Speech Therapy for Language Skills

Most people think of speech therapy as being exclusively for those with articulation challenges. Articulation refers to how sounds of speech are made. Often speech therapy is employed when difficulty making specific sounds like /r/, /sh/, /th/ occurs, such as when a child says “fwee” instead of “three.” But did you know there is a language component to speech therapy? Speech therapy for language can make a big impact on academic performance and social skills.

What is Speech Therapy for Language?

Language includes what words mean, how to put them together and what combinations to use them to communicate effectively and achieve the desired result in a situation. Language includes socially shared rules for how we communicate with one another. This can include pragmatics (social and interpersonal skills), memory, attention span, ability to organize thoughts, following directions, and adequately expressing thoughts both verbally and written. 

What Does a Language Disorder Look Like?

It might be easier to determine if your child has an articulation speech disorder as they cannot pronounce the words they are trying to say correctly with the current movements of their mouth. But, a language disorder might be more difficult to recognize. Often a child with a language disorder might have trouble following directions. They might not speak in complete sentences, or may have trouble expressing what they want or need using the correct words. 

Using speech therapy to address language difficulties can increase your child’s self-esteem, improve behavior, learning, and social skills. A Speech-language pathologist will work with your child to improve their understanding and use of language. By practicing how to follow directions, asking for things, forming short sentences and questions, telling stories, and describing pictures or events with your child, a Speech-language pathologist can help your child improve their language skills. 

It is entirely possible for a child to have a language and articulation disorder. Your speech therapist will assess this during the initial evaluation to determine the proper course of treatment for their exact needs. An articulation disorder might be obvious, but it might also be hiding an underlying language disorder that also needs addressing. 

If you’re not sure where your child is at developmentally regarding language, articulation, or speech, call or contact our office. We are happy to help. 704-845-0561