Speech and Language Therapy

Speech and Language Therapy Abbotsford

Often, a stuttering disorder starts in early childhood, around the preschool years. In some cases, the child may just be struggling to find their own vocabulary, or they may be thinking faster than they are speaking and may subside over time. However, some cases may not and can persist as a lifelong issue if left untreated. Given the unpredictability of stuttering, it is recommended to seek treatment rather than wait for it to disappear in time. An assessment with a Registered Speech-Language Pathologist can offer professional advice regarding home skills, parent training on ways to shape more fluent and error free speech. Stuttering can affect people at any age and Blooming Therapies is committed to helping you or your loved one overcome their stuttering problem. Early intervention has shown to reduce or remediate stuttering in young children although it is never too late to start a therapy routine to treat this type of disorder.

Stuttering:

Stuttering is identified as a difficulty in communicating that can vary in severity. Stuttering can be identified as any or all of the following primary symptoms:

  • Irregular breathing or temporary loss of breath
  • Sound prolongations
  • Word repetitions
  • Initial sound or syllable repetition
  • Phrase repetition
  • Blocked or temporary loss of vocal cord function
  • Tension of the mouth, face, neck or shoulder/chest area

 

Secondary symptoms that may accompany a stuttering issue include:

  • Loss of eye contact or eye blinking
  • Use of fillers such as “uh” or “um”
  • Repeated or extreme use of hand, neck or body movements during speech
  • Throat clearing

Accent Reduction:

Accent reduction therapy may be sought for many different reasons, including therapy for children to adults. In many cases, a strong accent may make it difficult for people to understand the speaker. This can have a negative impact socially, educationally or professionally in a work environment. Speech differences across languages can lead to differences in vowel or consonant articulation, consonant and sound sequences being articulated differently, speech sounds being substituted with native speech sounds, or parts of words being omitted altogether.

On occasion, work in the movie or television industry requires work in gaining or losing an accent, which can be treated by a Speech Therapist as well. Whether you are looking to gain, reduce or eliminate an accent, therapy with a Speech-Language Pathologist can help.

Contact Blooming Therapies today for more information.

Dysphagia and Swallowing Disorders:

Dysphagia can occur following certain medical diseases such as stroke, neurological disease and/or acid reflux.  There are many stages of Dysphagia, and each can be serious to your health. Poor muscle control of the tongue, lips or cheeks can lead to problems chewing or moving food to the back of the mouth. This may cause choking or gaging as food or liquid may move down the throat before the person is ready to swallow. If a swallow is absent or too slow, food or drink may go down the wrong way, travelling into the airway or remaining lodged in the throat after the swallow is completed. Food may also stick to the esophagus or may not travel to the stomach as rapidly as it should.

Dysphagia can be a serious condition and even life threatening, not to mention a very scary condition for anyone suffering these symptoms. If you or a loved one suffers from any of these symptoms, a treatment plan must always start with a qualified physician and treating ENT. When appropriate, A Registered Speech-Language Pathologist can compliment a treatment plan with the ongoing therapy needed to help improve or resolve Dysphagia or a swallowing disorder. Treatment with oral motor exercises has proven effective is remediation of dysphagia and swallowing.

If you or a loved one suffers from any of the above symptoms, contact Blooming Therapies today to start your road to recovery.

Voice Therapy:

Vocal problems or disorders stem from a variety of causes such as stroke, Parkinson’s or other neurological disorders, misuse or abuse of vocal cords or medical conditions such as acid reflux or cancers of the thyroid or neck. Common features of a voice disorder are:

Hoarse, raspy or changes in vocal quality

Temporary or loss of voice, often early in

the morning upon waking

Cracking of the voice

Loss of phonation (sounds during speech)

Reduced ability to sustain ones voice

Inadequate air supply to sustain speech

If you or a loved one suffers from any of these symptoms, it is recommended seeking medical advice and a referral to see an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor) before pursuing Speech Therapy. When voice therapy is recommended, a Speech Therapist can assess and create a treatment plan, while providing the skills to regain improved vocal function.

Articulation:

Articulation, speech errors and phonological delays are characterized by imprecise and unclear development of speech due to the improper placement or use of the lips, tongue, vocal cords, velum and/or jaw. These types of errors can lead to difficulties in others understanding the speaker, resulting is frustration or embarrassment. Often articulation difficulties require immediate assistance from a Registered Speech Language Pathologist to ensure clarity and vocabulary development does not become delayed. When left untreated, the delay may widen over time and your child may not be able to communicate as expected for their age. By the age of 4 years old, it is expected that a child is understandable to an unfamiliar adult. A proper speech assessment can provide parents with crucial information pertaining to their child’s speech errors, the type of treatment recommended and valuable tips to utilize in the home. Frequency and duration of treatment often varies and depends on the responsiveness of your child.

Historically, an intensive treatment plan, child cooperation and homework for the parents to administer has proven to be the most effective approach. Our therapists strive to make therapy fun and engaging, while educating and motivating your child. Please contact us if any of the following difficulties are noted:

  • Sound errors
  • Sound substitution
  • Unclear or unintelligible speech
  • Drooling
  • Dropping parts of words (consonant and syllable deletion)
  • Tongue thrust or protrusion
  • Open mouth when resting
  • Difficulties chewing or swallowing
  • Difficulty with production of speech sounds
  • Jaw sliding or instability when talking


For more information please contact Blooming Therapies today.

Aphasia / TBI:

Aphasia is defined as an impairment of language affecting the production and comprehension of speech, and often impairing ones ability to write and read words. This condition is always due to neurological injury, most commonly stroke, but may stem from tumors, infections or head trauma. Aphasia may affect single or multiple aspects of speech and language, leaving some to struggle with remembering items or names, struggling to put words together to form sentences, or a more global deficit affecting language acquisition quite severely. The role of our Speech-Language Pathologists is to assess every language domain to gain an “inventory” of each aspect, allowing for an intensive therapy experience by building on skills possessed by the client.

Treatment will include strategies and skills for caregivers, family and educators to utilize, creating a well rounded and consistent therapy regime to maximize progress in the client. Blooming Therapies offers intensive therapy programs in the home or care facility and it is recommended that caregivers be present to encourage daily practice. If you or a loved one suffers from Aphasia please contact Blooming Therapies today to start your recovery process with our trained and experienced staff.

Contact Blooming Therapies today for more information.

Expressive/Receptive Language Delay:

An expressive language delay is often noted in a limitation of vocabulary and a difficulty applying grammatical rules when combining words into phrases and sentences. Often an expressive delay starts in early toddler years and widens if left unaddressed. A child with expressive delay may later struggle with written language and meeting academic expectations. Children suffering from expressive delay may develop behavioural problems stemming from an inability to communicate, challenging relationships between the child and their family, siblings, peers and caregivers. An assessment with a Registered Speech-Language Pathologist can pinpoint the nature of the delay and develop an appropriate plan to help facilitate progress in developing language skills. Often, a therapy plan will include skills to help develop language in the home and in the school environment.

A delay in receptive language refers to a deficit or demonstrated difficulty in understanding spoken language that can manifest in numerous forms such as understanding spoken language, phrases and figurative language. A child suffering from a receptive delay can have difficulty following instructions, understanding questions, stories or conversations and can lead them to feel isolated and alone. Often a child with receptive delay will refrain from engagement due to feeling confused. A child struggling with receptive language is most likely going to struggle academically and socially, making early intervention is recommended. An assessment with a Registered Speech-Language Pathologist can help identify a receptive language delay an intensive therapy plan can be developed to help the child gain the age appropriate vocabulary and understanding needed to excel.

Contacting a Speech-Language Pathologist is recommended when a parent or teacher has concerns regarding a child’s ability to understand and answer questions, understand when spoken to, follow directions or understand information relative to other children of that age.

RASP Certified Therapists Available

Send us a message

Please allow up to 48 hours for your inquiry to be processed

14 + 11 =