Speech Therapy
Many children hit developmental speech and language milestones within typical age expectancy; however, some children may require specialized attention in order to acquire new skills or stay on track developmentally. When you notice a broadening gap between your child’s skills and the skills of other children in his or her peer group, it can be a very frightening time. Pediatric Health Care Associates is proud to offer the highest quality speech and language services.
Speech and language skills are broken down in to a number of categories, including articulation (the precision of a child’s speech), expressive language (a child’s use of language, including length of utterance, grammar, and vocabulary), receptive language (a child’s understanding of language, including ability to follow directions and answer questions), and pragmatic language skills (a child’s ability to understand and use social parameters to develop meaningful relationships). Within these broad areas, our speech-language pathologists treat communication disabilities and delays secondary to Autism Spectrum Disorder, fluency disorders, voice disorders, hearing loss, congenital anomalies, and generalized speech and language delay/disorder.
What to Do if Your Child Has a Communication Deficit?
If you or your child’s pediatrician have identified a communication deficit, our speech language pathologist can help! We will start by evaluating your child’s communication skills and developing an individualized treatment program. Sessions are 45 minutes and typically occur on a weekly basis. Our sessions involve a combination of drill and play-based activities and will include home programming to ensure that your child’s communication deficit is resolved as effectively and efficiently as possible.
To learn more, or make an appointment with our speech and language pathologist, please contact our office at 978-535-1110 (x3323).
Licensed Speech-Language Pathologists
Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, Pediatric Health Care Associates
* Sees patients in Stoneham and Melrose
Speech and Language Pathologist, Pediatric Health Care Associates
* Sees patients in Peabody and Salem
Developmental Screening
Do you have questions about your child development? We have answers! Our clinicians provide the highest quality routine care for you child’s medical development, but did you know that we also have specialists to provide more focused developmental screenings to ensure that your child’s language, cognition, and motor skills are also on track?
Why a Developmental Screening?
PHCA clinicians complete routine developmental checks during all well child visits, however it can be difficult to get a true developmental read during these visits. These regular well visits are performed in a medical setting where younger children may be ill at ease, and not give a true picture of their developmental progress.
What Is a Developmental Screening?
The developmental screening visit may just be the most fun doctors visit your child will ever have! You and your child will meet with our developmental screener in a non-medical office setting. Through the use of play-based techniques, she will observe multiple areas of development, including cognition, language, fine motor, gross motor, social development, and play skills. Following the screening, our developmental consultant and one of our pediatric providers will spend time discussing our observations with you. If needed, we will collaborate as a team to develop a roadmap for intervention and will be given strategies to use at home in order to foster continued skill development.
We complete developmental screenings at our Peabody office. Our staff would be happy to book an appointment for your child. Please contact our office at 978-818-6794 to book an appointment with our developmental consultant.
Developmental Screening Team
Image
Jeannette Kahn