Speech
SPEECH
Speech refers to the articulation or physical production of the sounds of speech, which includes the coordination of a person’s breath control, tongue, lips, and jaw movements to produce verbal speech. This is sometimes referred to as pronunciation.
LANGUAGE
Language refers to a person’s ability to understand the speech that they hear, and words that are written in text (also known as Receptive Language), as well as a person’s ability to form words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs in a verbal, written, or printed/typed format that is understandable to a listener or reader (also known as Expressive Language). This includes the understanding and appropriate use of grammar, and cognitive communication skills such as reasoning, logic, inferencing, and memory.
LANGUAGE
VOICE
VOICE
Voice refers to the quality of the sound of a person’s voice. For example, a person who has a hoarse, strained, or raspy voice may benefit from receiving services from a Speech-Language Pathologist.
FLUENCY
Fluency refers to the smoothness of a person’s verbal speech. For example, a person whose speech sounds “bumpy”, includes repeated sounds or words, becomes “stuck” at the beginning of some words, pauses in the middle of words, or an unusually fast rate of speech, may benefit from services from a Speech-Language Pathologist. This includes stuttering and cluttering.
FLUENCY
SWALLOWING
SWALLOWING
Swallowing refers to a person’s ability to transfer food or drink to their mouth, chew it (if needed), and swallow it into their food pipe (esophagus), without it going into their windpipe (trachea). A person who has difficulty with swallowing may need assistance with moving food from their cup to their mouth, picking up their food with a utensil and placing the food into their mouth, or be unable to coordinate the movements of their jaw and tongue to properly chew food, or be missing teeth that are required to bite into food or chew food, or be able to hold their food in their mouth while they are chewing. Signs that a person may have difficulty with swallowing may include holding food/drink in their mouth without swallowing it, food or drink dribbling out of their mouth, not chewing their food, and coughing or sputtering after swallowing food or drinks. Swallowing difficulties are concerning when they result in food/drinks going into a person’s windpipe and cause an airway blockage (choking), or when food/drinks go into their lungs, which may result in lung infection/pneumonia.
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
Social Communication refers to the way that a person uses language in social situations.
We use language for different purposes, such as greeting people, sharing information, asking questions, and requesting something.
We also adapt our speech to different situations, such as if our listener is a baby or an adult, and speaking louder when we are in a noisy environment.
Lastly, there are “unspoken” rules of conversation, such as taking turns in conversation, looking at the speaker, and standing at an appropriate distance from the speaker.
sOCIAL COMMUNICATION
Speech – Language Pathology Service Fees
Speech-Language Pathology Service fees are covered under most health insurance plans. If you are a parent of a child who requires Speech-Language Pathology services, you may also be eligible to claim for Parent Training services from a Speech-Language Pathologist when you attend therapy sessions with your child to learn how to support his/her communication skills. Please contact your health insurance provider for details regarding your coverage.
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