Speech Services for Speech Sound Disorders
Developing appropriate language skills is crucial for your child’s overall growth. When children learn to express themselves clearly and understand others, it enhances their ability to build meaningful relationships, both at home and in school.
Strong language skills also help them navigate emotions, reduce frustration, and solve problems more effectively. As they grow, these skills become essential for academic success, as children need to communicate their thoughts and ideas to understand and engage with lessons. By encouraging your child to develop appropriate language, you’re setting them up for better social, emotional, and educational outcomes.
If you find that your child is struggling with communicating at home or at school, you’re in the right place. Our speech-language pathologist (SLP) specializes in identifying and treating a range of speech sound disorders to help your child develop clear and effective communication.
How to Identify & Treat Speech Disorders
If you have reason to believe that your child is having difficulty communicating, it’s important to seek an evaluation from a speech-language pathologist (SLP). Identifying issues early can make a significant difference in their development as they grow into capable adults.
An SLP will assess your child’s speech patterns, identify specific challenges, and create a personalized treatment plan to help improve their speech clarity and communication skills. Early intervention can lead to better outcomes in both social and academic settings, which will give your child the tools they need to express themselves confidently in the future.
Some areas we can help with include:
Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
CAS is a motor speech disorder where the brain struggles to plan and coordinate the precise movements needed for speech. Children with CAS may have difficulty producing sounds accurately, experience inconsistent speech errors, and struggle with prosody (rhythm and melody of speech).
Identification: A thorough assessment, including speech sound production, motor planning tasks, and oral-motor skills evaluation.
Treatment: Intensive, individualized therapy using multisensory cueing, repetition, and motor-based approaches like dynamic temporal and tactile cueing (DTTC) to build speech coordination and consistency.
Phonological Disorders
Phonological disorders occur when a child has difficulty understanding and using the sound system of a language correctly. This often results in patterns of speech errors, such as leaving off final sounds (“ca” for “cat”) or replacing sounds (“tat” for “cat”).
Identification: A phonological assessment to analyze speech patterns and determine which sound processes need intervention.
Treatment: Therapy focuses on helping children recognize and correct speech patterns through structured activities, minimal pairs therapy, and auditory discrimination exercises.
Articulation Disorders
Articulation disorders involve difficulty physically producing specific speech sounds, such as a persistent lisp or difficulty pronouncing “r” and “s” sounds. These errors can affect speech clarity and confidence.
Identification: A speech sound evaluation to assess which sounds are misarticulated and at what level (words, sentences, or conversation).
Treatment: Exercises to strengthen oral-motor coordination, modeling correct sound production, and practicing target sounds in increasingly complex speech contexts.
Speech Services for Fluency Disorders
Stuttering
Stuttering is characterized by disruptions in speech flow, such as repetitions (“I-I-I want”), prolongations (“ssssssunny day”), or blocks (a pause where no sound comes out). Stuttering can also be accompanied by physical tension, anxiety, or avoidance of speaking situations.
Identification: A comprehensive assessment includes evaluating the frequency and types of speech disruptions, as well as analyzing emotional and situational factors that may influence stuttering.
Treatment:Therapy focuses on fluency-shaping techniques (e.g., slow, controlled speech), stuttering modification strategies (e.g., reducing tension, easing into words), and building confidence through desensitization exercises and self-advocacy skills.
Cluttering
Cluttering is a lesser-known fluency disorder where speech is excessively fast, irregular, or disorganized, often resulting in omitted syllables, slurred speech, or difficulty maintaining a clear message.
Identification: An assessment involves analyzing speech rate, rhythm, articulation clarity, and organization of thoughts.
Treatment: Therapy targets slowing down speech, improving speech organization, increasing self-awareness, and using pacing techniques to enhance clarity.
Speech & Language Evaluations and Treatment with Visalia Hearing Center
As parents ourselves, we know how concerning it can be if you’re worried about your child’s health or development. Our speech therapy services are tailored to meet every child’s needs, ensuring steady progress and improved communication skills from school into adult life.
For efficient management of your child’s speech struggles and clearer communication, you can rest assured that our team of specialists will provide professional guidance and support for every step of the way, making sure that your child is comfortable and stress-free throughout the assessment process.
Contact us today to schedule an evaluation and start your family’s journey toward clearer speech!
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FAQs
about Speech and Language
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Appointment & Scheduling
1. How long are the therapy sessions?
Sessions vary with each individual and are dependent on the findings of the evaluation. If, for example, your child’s evaluation indicates a severe need, sessions could be recommended 30 minutes 2 times per week (or 90 minutes 1 time per week). If the evaluation indicates a mild need, then sessions are typically recommended at 30 minutes per week.
2. What are your hours?
Our SLP primarily offers evening appointments (5pm-) to accommodate school and work schedules. Please contact us for specific availability.
3. How long will my child need therapy?
The length of therapy varies based on several factors. After a comprehensive evaluation, our SLP will create a personalized treatment plan and monitor progress over time. While exact timelines are hard to predict, here’s what can affect therapy duration:
- Severity of the Disorder – Mild issues (like a few sound errors) may take months, while more complex challenges (like severe stuttering) require longer.
- Age of the Child – Younger children often progress faster, but older children can still improve with consistent practice.
- Therapy Frequency & Home Practice – Regular sessions and consistent home practice speed up progress.
- Learning Style – Some children pick up skills quickly, while others need more time and repetition.
4. General timeline for phonological and/or articulation disorders
Mild articulation issues (1-2 sound errors) – Often improve within 3-6 months of weekly therapy with good home practice.
Moderate articulation issues (several sound errors) – May take 6-12 months of therapy.
Severe articulation issues (many sound errors or difficulty coordinating mouth movements) – May take 1-2 years or longer.
5. General Timeline for Stuttering
Young children (ages 2-6) – If stuttering is caught early, many kids show significant improvement in 3-6 months with regular therapy and home support. Some may need up to a year.
School-age children (6+) – Therapy can take 6-12 months or longer, depending on severity and progress. Therapy often focuses on fluency strategies, reducing tension, and building confidence.
Teens – Stuttering can be managed, but therapy focuses on long-term fluency strategies and communication confidence. Progress varies based on individual goals.
6. General Timeline for Tongue Thrust
Young children (ages 2-6) Mild tongue thrust – 3-6 months with regular therapy and home exercises.
Moderate cases – 6-12 months of therapy and consistent home practice.
Severe or long-standing tongue thrust – 12+ months, especially if tongue thrust has impacted speech, swallowing, or dental alignment.
General Questions
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1. How do I know if my child needs speech therapy?
If you notice that your child struggles with speaking clearly, understanding words, or communicating effectively, they might benefit from speech therapy. Some signs to look for include difficulty pronouncing words, trouble forming sentences, challenges following directions, or a noticeable delay in speech compared to peers.
If your child is becoming frustrated when trying to express themselves or if you notice that their speech is impacting their social interactions or school performance, it could be time to seek a professional evaluation. A speech-language pathologist can assess your child’s speech and language development and determine if therapy is needed to help them improve their communication skills.
2. Who will be working with my child?
speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs), ensuring that every session is conducted by a highly trained professional who is able to continuously assess and modify treatment in the moment.
3. You mention SLPAs. What are SLPA’s and how do they compare to an SLP?
5. Do you accept insurance?
No, we are a private-pay clinic and do not accept insurance. However, we can provide a receipt that you may submit to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement. See pricing page for specific costs
4. How does your private practice speech therapy differ from school based speech therapy?
School-Based: Child must show academic impact to qualify under California Education
Code.
Our Clinic: Therapy is based on an SLP’s comprehensive evaluation, regardless of
school performance.
Focus of Therapy
School-Based: Supports educational needs (e.g., speech clarity, language for learning)
Our Clinic: Covers a wider range of issues, including articulation, tongue thrust, and stuttering.
Therapy Structure
School-Based: Often in groups with limited session time.
Our Clinic: One-on-one, personalized, and flexible scheduling.
Parent Involvement
School-Based: Limited involvement.
Our Clinic: Regular updates and home practice strategies.
Our clinic is ideal for children needing more individualized support or those who don’t qualify for
school services.
6. Do you offer group sessions?
No, our SLP only provides one-on-one therapy sessions to ensure personalized attention and tailored treatment for each child.
Services
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1.Do you work with adults?
2. What types of speech and language challenges do you treat?
3. My orthodontist has recommended speech therapy for my child. What are they talking about?
Most likely your orthodontist has recognized the possibility that your child may be functioning against Tongue Thrust (immature swallow pattern). Our SLP has extensive experience treating tongue thrust, which can impact speech, swallowing, and dental alignment. Therapy focuses on retraining tongue posture and correct oral muscle movements
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