Pediatric Speech Therapy
Speech Therapy is often referred to as Speech. Pediatric Speech Therapy uses creative and meaningful activities to help a child fully communicate and understand language.
Speech-language pathologists (speech therapists) help children achieve milestones such as gesturing, speaking, understanding language, reading, understanding facial expressions, playing with toys, and interacting with peers.
A Speech-language pathologist may evaluate and treat the following:
- Receptive Language Skills (understanding the meaning of spoken language)
- Expressive Language Skills (verbal & non-verbal communication)
- Pragmatic Language (social skills)
- Articulation, Fluency, and Voice (quality and clarity of spoken language)
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
- Feeding skills and Oral Motor Skills
- Executive functioning
Speech Therapy Credentials
A speech-language pathologist must be a graduate of an accredited educational program with a Master’s degree. They must complete a clinical rotation to earn their certificate of clinical competence (CCC) and be licensed by their state board. A speech therapy assistant must be a graduate of an accredited educational program with a Bachelor’s degree and licensed by their state board. A speech assistant may provide treatment with monthly supervision from a speech-language pathologist. Speech therapy assistants may not conduct evaluations or establish treatment plans independently.
