Speech is how we say sounds and words. Speech includes:
- articulation (how we make speech sounds by using our mouth, lips, and tongue),
- voice (how we use our vocal folds and breath to make sound), and
- fluency (the rhythm or flow of our speech).
Language is the words we use and how we use them to get what we want and share ideas. Language includes:
- what words mean
- how we put words together
- how we make new words, and
- what and how we say things at different times
Take a look at the age information on the development page
No, speech language pathologists do not require a referal from a doctor. If you have concerns contact a speech language pathologist.
Each person is unique, therefore it is difficult to say. Therapy may require a few sessions or may last over the course of several months, and sometimes over the span of years, depending on the severity or complexity of the problem. Home practice between sessions, as assigned by the treating Speech-Language Pathologist, helps to reduce the amount of time that therapy will take.
Therapy sessions are usually weekly during the establishment phase of therapy, and may decrease in frequency as newly acquired skills transfer into every day talking. In some cases, two sessions per week may be recommended.
The duration of therapy sessions varies depending on the number of goals to be achieved, or what is involved in achieving them.