Evaluations
What to do if your child has been referred for a speech/language or feeding evaluation or you have concerns about any of the following skills:
Regulation, Engagement & Relatedness
Foundations for interacting and communicating.
Receptive Language & Processing
The ability to understand spoken or written information, including following directions and answering questions.
Expressive Language
The ability to communicate to express one's perceptions, ideas, feelings or intentions to others through expanded vocabulary and grammatical skills.
Speech
The production of speech sounds, voice, fluency and appropriate rhythm.
Oral Motor & Sensory Skills
The physical skills that impact a child's ability to produce speech and can affect feeding/eating habits.
Social Use of Language
The “how' and “why” one communicates, which is impacted by speaker-listener intentions and relations.
Play Skills
The combined use of language, thinking, reasoning and motor skills which is a child's natural medium of self expression.
Independence & Self Help
The development of a positive self-image through the improvement of functional skills such as feeding, dressing, grooming and task completion.
Steps for an initial evaluation:
An initial evaluation is necessary for insurance reimbursement and to develop a "plan of treatment", including goals and other recommendations. A licensed speech/language pathologist will evaluate your child in a child-friendly environment. Parents know their child best and many are concerned how will my child do during the evaluation. Parents complete a questionnaire prior to the evaluation which is reviewed by the evaluating therapists. Parents can accompany their child into the evaluation as well. We use standardized assessment tools, as well as clinical observations. You will receive a written report with goals and recommendations, which may be share with you child's pediatrician, teachers or other providers. Following an evaluation, ongoing therapy can be scheduled as recommended.
