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Our family helping your
family communicate
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| ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY |
Brandon Buckendorf, SLP, and client |
A pediatric speech-language pathologist (SLP) assesses a child's speech clarity, vocabulary, sentence structure, and social language abilities and uses a variety of standardized and informal assessment tools to determine if the child has specific speech or language impairments. This information is gathered along with observations of the child, parent interview, and information from the referring physician or agency, to determine
a diagnosis and then, if necessary, provide suggestions for interventions to improve the child's speech and language skills.
The SLP sets goals for speech and language skills based on what
is known about typical language in children. At times the intervention is very structured and at other times the SLP follows the child's interests and uses more indirect methods of facilitating language. We stress real communication so the child is communicating for a reason, not just imitating or repeating words.
Tracy Buckendorf, SLP and client |
Speech and language is more than the words a child uses and begins far earlier than when we see a child use his or her first word. Infants communicate through smiles and sounds, and are already building intentional communication by the time they are 9 months old; not in words yet but through looks, gaze, and sounds.
Angela Boyer, SLP and client |
When we assess a child's communication, we look at what the child is doing and compare that with what typically developing children are doing at that age in a number of areas. When we evaluate children, we may assess their ability to understand and use language, the clarity and fluency of their speech, and how they use language including gestures, socially.
Bob Buckendorf, SLP and client |
Children have many other communication problems such as
stuttering and
voice problems and a SLP is trained to evaluate
and provide treatment for children with those disabilities as
well. A SLP is also part of the team who assesses feeding and
swallowing issues in children and provides intervention. Some
children, especially in the preschool years, cannot use verbal
communication and we often provide families with alternative ways of helping the child communicate such as pictures and sign. Those methods do not stop a child from talking but instead help the child develop intentional and complex non-word communication.
Laura Holden, SLP and client |
Speech-language pathologists work in schools, early
intervention settings, clinics and hospitals, and in private
practice. Buckendorf Associates is a group of SLPs who provide
individual and
group treatment in our office for children with a wide range of communication issues.
Tracy Buckendorf, SLP and clients |
Parents can contact the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for referral information and for publications about speech and language development.
ASHA can be contacted at 1-800-638-8255 or on the web at www.asha.org for that information.
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 One
Lincoln Center, Suite 410
10300 SW Greenburg Road
Portland, OR, 97223-5417 |
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Telephone: (503) 517-8555
Fax: (503) 517-8556
Email: bob.buckendorf@gmail.com |
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