For children who have trouble communicating, speech therapy can be the key to helping them to open up.
Many people don’t realize that speech therapy is a vital tool for minimally verbal and nonverbal children, as they assume that not speaking is equivalent to not needing to speak. However, that is far from the truth! Speech therapy provides minimally verbal children with ways to communicate their needs and wants, as well as many other things. Here are some of the many ways that speech therapy help minimally verbal children to communicate.
Speech Therapy Offers a Communication Method
Speech therapy is designed for anyone who is struggling to communicate with those around them. As a result, it’s perfect for minimally verbal children or non-verbal children who need ways to “talk” to those around them. Speech therapy can utilize aided or unaided communication including communication books, low and mid-range tech communication devices, high-tech communication devices, and communication apps.
Speech Therapy Isn’t Just Speaking
Speech therapy doesn’t just involve the mechanics of saying words aloud, it also involves learning the English language as it is spoken. Speech therapy includes the concepts of comprehension, sequencing, actions, pronoun usage, grammar, and more. All of these concepts will help your child, even if they are minimally verbal.
Speech Therapy Boosts Social Skills
Social skills are critical when it comes to growing up, interacting with their peers and adults in their lives, and spending time in the community at large. Pragmatic social skills are often slower to develop in minimally verbal children, but speech therapy can help to accelerate that growth and bridge the gap. Speech therapy can help to develop social skills through modeling, role playing, high-tech therapy apps, stories, and many other strategies. A speech therapist can help transform the way that your child communicates with the world around them,
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (202) 561-1110 (Washington, D.C. office) or (301) 577-4333 (Lanham office). Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.