Need help with Language & Conversation???

We provide your child with rich language therapy to improve their receptive and expressive vocabulary, grammatical knowledge and interactions.

 

A spoken language disorder (SLD), is a significant impairment in the development and use of language due to problems in comprehension and/or production across any of the five language domains (i.e., phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics).

 

  • Phonology—the speech sound (i.e., phoneme) system of a language that make words, including the rules for combining and using speech sounds (see speech disorders).
  • Morphology—the rules that determine how morphemes (the minimal meaningful units of language) are applied to words in language
  • Syntax—the rules that pertain to the ways in which words can be combined to form sentences in a language.
  • Semantics—the meaning of words and combinations of words in a language.
  • Pragmatics—the rules associated with the use of language in conversation and broader social situations.

Social communication difficulties impacting on general conversation are often identified in children who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and less commonly associated with children with a typical language disorder.  Difficulties processing language or understanding social rules and cues make it difficult to make friends and feel confident in social situations.

Here are some signs that your child/person has difficulty with language or social situations and would likely benefit from improving language and/or pragmatic skills:

  • Small vocabulary
  • Using incorrect sentence structure when speaking
  • Not modifying words correctly such as sleep/slept, walk/walked
  • Difficulty to take turns, ask questions, select topics appropriate for the particular social context
  • Inflexible communication style to match the context or needs of the listener;
  • No plan or rules for conversation and storytelling
  • Difficult to understand non-literate or ambiguous language
  • Unable to understand inferences and what is not explicitly stated.
A guide to 4 year old Language Milestones (SPA-2019-4yearsA4)

A guide to 5 year old Language Milestones (SPA-2019-5yearsA4)

  • What's Next?

    • Assessment
      • Comprehensive receptive and expressive language assessment is conducted to identify therapeutic needs.
      • Imagery testing
      • Language sample analysis
      • Pragmatic Skills Profiling (dependent on oral language skills)
    • Intervention
      • Therapy is targeted to the child/person’s functional needs and developmental level.
      • Recommended intensity minimum 45min-1hr weekly-fortnightly.