*** Important Notice...Wee Talk Speech Therapy is not accepting new clients. I will update when there is a change to this status. Thank you for visiting the site***
Welcome to Wee Talk Speech Therapy. Wee Talk is a private practice offering consultation, assessment and therapy to children from infant/toddler to school age throughout the HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality). Located in West Bedford, Wee Talk offers services in the comfort and convenience of your own home. Assessment and therapy is offered in many areas including, but not limited to:
Development of Speech and Language skills
Most children learn to speak and communicate naturally without much effort on our part as parents or caregivers but when that doesn't happen we start to wonder, "Why isn't my child speaking?" The answer to that question involves many factors and the reality is; speech and language development is very complex! Children with typical language skills make it look so easy but here are just a few of the complexities to consider:
A child can have difficulty in all areas, a few areas or just one area of development. For example a child might be able to understand everything and follow directions but is not able to produce their own words or sentences (expressive language). Another child might use words and sentences but is not understandable to other people (articulation). Yet another child might not be able to communicate well with others (social skills) or has lots of language but is stuttering when speaking in sentences (fluency). Some children may have difficulty with expressive language, receptive language and articulation skills at the same time.
Welcome to Wee Talk Speech Therapy. Wee Talk is a private practice offering consultation, assessment and therapy to children from infant/toddler to school age throughout the HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality). Located in West Bedford, Wee Talk offers services in the comfort and convenience of your own home. Assessment and therapy is offered in many areas including, but not limited to:
- Development of pre-language and language skills in infants/toddlers
- Speech sound production (articulation)
- Receptive and expressive language (understanding and use of words and sentences)
- Social communication skills
- Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS)
- Oral motor difficulties
- Pre-school stuttering/dysfluency
Development of Speech and Language skills
Most children learn to speak and communicate naturally without much effort on our part as parents or caregivers but when that doesn't happen we start to wonder, "Why isn't my child speaking?" The answer to that question involves many factors and the reality is; speech and language development is very complex! Children with typical language skills make it look so easy but here are just a few of the complexities to consider:
- Speech and language are not the same thing.
- Speech is the verbal means of communicating; how we say sounds and sequence them together to make words (articulation).
- Language consists of both expressive and receptive components.
- Expressive language is the use of words and sentences and how we combine them to deliver meaning (what a child says).
- Receptive language is the ability to understand the meaning of those words and sentences (what a child understands).
- Pragmatics (social skills) is the ability to use language (verbal and non verbal) socially to communicate meaning to others and participate in conversations.
- Fluency is the flow and rhythm of our sounds and words.
A child can have difficulty in all areas, a few areas or just one area of development. For example a child might be able to understand everything and follow directions but is not able to produce their own words or sentences (expressive language). Another child might use words and sentences but is not understandable to other people (articulation). Yet another child might not be able to communicate well with others (social skills) or has lots of language but is stuttering when speaking in sentences (fluency). Some children may have difficulty with expressive language, receptive language and articulation skills at the same time.
Not every child develops speech and language skills at the same time. However there are milestones that are typically seen in specific age ranges. A speech and language consultation or assessment by a professional speech-language pathologist is the best way to find out if your child is struggling in one or more areas of speech and language development and what you can do to help.
Wee Talk welcomes referrals from parents, physicians, healthcare and education professionals. Please contact me with any questions you may have and a free phone consultation to discuss your concerns.
Wee Talk welcomes referrals from parents, physicians, healthcare and education professionals. Please contact me with any questions you may have and a free phone consultation to discuss your concerns.