What is Speech and Language Therapy at AIM?

The role of a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), also known informally as a speech therapist, is wide and varied depending on the population they are working with. Speech-language therapy with school-aged children mainly focuses on the development of their speech, language (receptive and expressive) and cognitive-communication skills, especially as they relate to their academic performance. Skills addressed within the scope of speech-language therapy include:

• articulation
• oral motor skill development
• vocabulary skills
• word retrieval
• following directions
• auditory processing and listening comprehension
• concept knowledge
• sequencing and expressing ideas
• figurative/non-literal language
• grammar/syntax
• sentence formulation
• knowledge of sounds as applied to reading and spelling, sounding out skills (phonological awareness)
• reading skills and reading comprehension
• spelling abilities
• written language production
• language organization and verbal problem solving
• pragmatics/social use of language
• voice, prosody (rhythm and intonation)
• speech fluency (stuttering)

Speech and language therapy services seek to remediate or compensate speech/language disorders so that a child can function in a developmentally age appropriate manner. A speech-language pathologist promotes growth and development of speech and/or language skills through specific and targeted tasks. The use of unique and meaningful activities tailored to each individual's needs allows for a child to gain confidence in their communication skills, in the context of a safe and nurturing environment.  A speech-language pathologist provides the child with specific instruction on their speech/language deficits, strategies to compensate for and remediate areas of need, and visual and verbal cues to improve areas of weakness and to generalize skills outside of therapeutic sessions.

What are some indications for Speech-Language Therapy?

• need for frequent repetition of directions
• difficulty following directions in the absence of visual or verbal prompting
• appearing confused when spoken to
• difficulty with categorization skills
• difficulty identifying attributes, functions, and/or uses of objects
• poor understanding or use of prepositions, verbs, and/or adjectives
• word finding problems
• inappropriate responses to questions
• difficulty with spontaneous generation or formulation of oral and written sentences
• difficulty sequencing words in sentences
• difficulty retelling stories or events
• difficulty articulating information in a smooth and cohesive utterance, and may also manifest difficulty in written expression
• difficulty with making predictions or inferences
• difficulty understanding abstract or figurative language
• poor intelligibility of speech
• difficulty sequencing sounds in words
• difficulty with verbal problem solving
• limited receptive or expressive vocabulary
• difficulty rhyming words
• difficulty identifying where sounds occur in words
• difficulty with reading and/or spelling
• difficulty with understanding what they have read
• difficulty with identifying the main idea and details of reading material
• difficulty with note-taking and prioritizing important information
• difficulty with social interactions with peers and/or adults
• difficulty joining and/or maintaining a conversation or remaining on topic during a conversation
• difficulty with perspective taking

Who can receive Speech-Language Therapy at AIM?

The Academy In Manayunk offers speech and language therapy both to the students enrolled in the school and to children in the surrounding community. Any child with a speech or language disorder from the ages of 5-18 can be considered for speech-language therapy at AIM. To begin services, the child must have an initial evaluation indicating his or her individual needs and the goals for intervention.

What Speech-Language Therapy services are offered at AIM?

Comprehensive Speech and Language Therapy Evaluation
An evaluation determines the basis for difficulties with understanding or using speech and language in school, at home or during recreational or social situations. The therapist determines a child's strengths and areas of need through the administration of a carefully selected set of standardized and informal test measures. The evaluation process also includes clinical observation and collaboration with teachers and parents. Specific areas addressed include the child's articulation skills, oral motor skills, receptive and expressive vocabulary, receptive and expressive language skills, phonological awareness skills, decoding and encoding skills, reading comprehension, written language, and/or social language skills. Special attention is given to issues that affect academic performance.

Traditional Speech and Language Therapy Treatment
Treatment focuses on all areas of oral language, focusing on articulation, fluency, receptive (understanding) skills and expressive (formulation) abilities, phonological awareness, reading comprehension and written language, with goals tailored to each student's specific speech and/or language needs. During therapy sessions, a child will typically work on multiple goals. Goals for therapy sessions are generated based on the results of an evaluation.

For additional information please contact:
Alyssa Cosentino, M.S., CCC-SLP
Director of the Speech and Language Department
(215)483-2461
acosentino@aimpa.org