Speech-Language Services
- use language to acquire, assess and communicate information
- become effective listeners and speakers in a variety of situations.
Key Areas of Speech and Language
- ARTICULATION – speech sound production/pronunciation.
- Children acquire the ability to pronounce certain sounds at different ages. Some pick up this skill earlier than others. Oftentimes, children in middle school may have difficulty with later-developing sounds like “s” and “r.”
- It is important to note that some students may also experience oral-motor difficulties in conjunction with articulation difficulties.
- LANGUAGE – Receptive (comprehension) and Expressive
- Content: semantics
- Form: syntax (grammar), morphology, phonology
- Use: pragmatics (social conventions of language)
- Content-Form-Use Explained
- FLUENCY – the flow of speech (ex: stuttering)
- VOICE – vocal quality.
- The most common voice issue for school-aged children involves hoarseness, which is often related to vocal abuse and misuse (e.g., excessive loudness or use of incorrect pitch).