Speech Therapy for Children with Disorders

This assignment delves into the field of speech therapy for children experiencing communication disorders. It outlines the initial stages of assessment, emphasizing the importance of identifying the root cause of the disorder and setting achievable goals. The text highlights various intervention techniques, including exercises to strengthen vocal muscles and the utilization of alternative communication methods when necessary. Furthermore, it stresses the significance of record-keeping to monitor individual progress and addresses the potential mental health implications of untreated speech disorders.

Running head: ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS
English Language and Linguistics
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS
Part B: Intervention
1. Language
a) Assessment of the language skills in case of Brad was done through Clinical Evaluation
of Language Fundamentals Preschool 2 (CELF/P2) (Reilly et al., 2010). The assessment
results revealed that Brad has a moderate developmental language disorder. However, his
receptive language was found to be within normal limits. In view of this observational
evaluation, a long-term goal for Brad has been set. The goal suggests that Brad should have
age appropriate expressive language skills. Therefore, in order to work towards this long-
term goal, it is necessary to attain a definite short-term goal. It has been indicated that Brad
suffers from inability to structure consonants although his actions with the vowels have been
found to be good. He encounters difficulties with pronouncing abilities. Hence, it may be
fixed as a short-term goal so that Brad may be equipped with the ability to frame short but
meaningful sentence that is understandable to others by utilizing common vocabularies.
Genetic predisposition, prenatal nutrition in addition to presence of others diseases such as
that of autism spectrum disorder, Down’s syndrome and others like premature birth or
intellectual disabilities might have been identified as potential factors that might lead to
emanation of language disorders (Owens Jr, 2016). In case of Brad, no such possibility is
relevant. Therefore, emphasis must be lead to understand accurately the reason behind
difficulty in expressive language skills. Proactive efforts must be streamlined so that the child
gets the opportunity of expressing himself in a suitable manner even though the progress
might be slow. In the given scenario, it has been documented that the child faces issues in the
production of language and therefore actions must be undertaken with the aim of assisting the
child in articulating simple words that makes sense to others. It must be focused so that the

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child do not encounter difficulty in understanding simple words. Thus, no technical jargons
or difficult vocabulary for a child of his age should be presented. Learning of new
vocabularies must be targeted so that the child succeeds in framing short and simple
sentences that is comprehensible to others as well (Leonard, 2014). Thus, for the child to
attain the long-term goal of having age appropriate expressive language skills, short but
steady approaches are required so that he may be able to construct short and simple sentences
in conveying his thoughts to others.
b) Intervention to treat the language deficits in case of Brad requires prudent attention. It is
imperative for both the teachers as well as the parents to work untiringly in aiding the child
to achieve the developmental milestones related to language. In view of his difficulties,
guardians must motivate him to practice speaking and make him pronounce the tricky
clustered and single consonant sounds which appeared more troublesome for Brad. At home,
parents must make efforts to converse with him through asking open-ended questions that
call for answering in complete sentences rather than replying in monosyllables. It has been
reported in literature that practicing conversations on a daily basis might derive positive
benefits for the affected child. Resorting to interactive activities might be fruitful for Brad as
he will be exposed to vernaculars in a heightened way thereby facilitating the linguistic
development in him (Schleppegrell, 2013). Apart from the home based interventions, active
involvement of the professionals might be of help to Brad. Professional help might be
beneficial in terms of aiding the child with language disorders. Language perception for Brad
needs to be nurtured to result in positive outcomes. In conjunction with the assistance
provided for him at home, a formal encounter with a speech therapist will be helpful. A
speech therapist might aid in building of his vocabulary and improving his grammar as well.

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Further, the speech therapist might guide for his intervention at home that need to be fostered
by the parents. Correct identification of the child’s issues might aid in making pragmatic
choices that will address the trouble with spoke language for him. Moreover, it is crucial to
utilize the forte of the child as much as possible in order to make it easier for him to
overcome the language difficulties. Self-regulation of the child’s behavior must be
encouraged so that the child becomes proficient to handle his language disorders and ensure
articulation of meaningful words that helps in construction of meaningful sentences.
Communication with the child will help to generate in him the language skills that in turn
will facilitate enhancement of socialization (DeGangi, 2017). Decisions with respect to the
management of language disorder for Brad are to be supervised by the speech therapist to
harbor holistic outcomes.
2. Speech
a) As per the case scenario of Brad, it is evident that he has difficulty in articulating words
and phrases and end up in uttering words that are not understandable to others. Specific
observations with respect to his speech analysis revealed that he has moderate to severe
speech sound disorder. Therefore, in order to address his condition, it is essential to address
his condition. Long-term goal in this regard will be so that Brad has intelligible to all
listeners and in all contexts. Phonetic structuring ability of Brad is compromised that call for
prompt action so that he does not have any issue with respect to articulation of words and
phrases. In keeping with this long-term goal, the short-term goal will be to strategize methods
in which Brad will be able to pronounce simple words correctly. It has been found that he
faces maximum issues in terms of fronting of velars, cluster reduction and gliding. The
DEAP evaluation has revealed this finding. Therefore, the short-term goal for him may be set

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in a way so that he may be able to clearly pronounce the words that he learns thereby making
it understandable to the listeners (Bishop & Leonard, 2014). Speech impairment may be well
controlled when adequate emphasis is laid on words and expressions comprising of clustered
consonants fricative, semi-vowels. It is crucial on the part of the parent to take care of the
child so that he improves his utterances by repeatedly correcting his sentences (Bowen,
2014). Speaking aptitudes must be enhanced in case of Brad so that he utters sensible terms
that has clarity and is phonetically correct. As speech is considered as a fundamental skill in
building social communication, hence efforts must be streamlined to correct his speech. The
words, phrases and sentences that he utters must make sense to others. This in turn will
enhance his self-esteem and lead to improvement of his socialization skills (Nelson, 2014).
Hence, it will be of impact to frame strategies that will help him to cope up with speech
sound disorder. He will be in a position to communicate in a better way by honing his
linguistic skills and uttering phonetically correct words. Speech will be improved in
connection with adequate emphasis being laid on utterance of simple words that will make it
easier for Brad to construct meaningful sentences understandable to others.
b) Speech sound disorder is one of the common and one of the most occurring linguistics
problems that is caused due to the inability to communicate properly beyond a certain age.
Every sound within the speech has a definite age that ensures correct phonological order. The
main purpose of the Speech Language therapy is to co-ordinate the system of mechanic
(Sakai & Momosaki, 2016). The initial part of the speech therapy program is done by
evaluation of speech language. The result of the evaluation helps the pathologist to select the
proper intervention measures that can be adopted according to the requirement of individual
children. In the case of Brad, it is essential for the speech therapy expert to properly examine

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the speaking ability of the child. This can help to examine the root cause of speech disorder.
It is important for the pathologist to set a definite goal depending upon the current situation
of the child. One of the main elements of the speech therapy technique include master spoken
language program. This can help to encourage both verbal and nonverbal mode of
communication within a child. Each goal of the speech therapy helps an individual to
enhance the skill of communication. According to Rogalski et al., (2015), there are set an
alternative form of communication that are done through non verbal Method can also be
effective in some cases of serious level of illness. It is also important for the pathologist to
keep a detail record of the progress after the intervention measures for speech therapy are
being implemented, which will be helpful in cases related to that of tracking individual
progress. The exact cause of speech disorder can vary depending upon individual situation of
every child. The exercises that are implemented in the speech therapy include strengthening
of the vocal muscle that can help in speech. It is important to mention that untreated speech
therapy disorder for longer period can lead to mental health issues or anxiety disorders.
Hence, anti anxiety medication is one of the major parts the intervention techniques are
provided to the speech therapy disordered individuals.

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References
Bishop, D. V., & Leonard, L. (Eds.). (2014). Speech and language impairments in children:
Causes, characteristics, intervention and outcome. Psychology press.
Bowen, C. (2014). Children's speech sound disorders. John Wiley & Sons.
DeGangi, G. A. (2017). Pediatric disorders of regulation in affect and behavior: A therapist's
guide to assessment and treatment. Academic Press.
Leonard, L. B. (2014). Children with specific language impairment. MIT press.
Nelson, K. E. (Ed.). (2014). Children's language (Vol. 4). Psychology Press.
Owens Jr, R. E. (2016). Language Development: An Introduction| Edition: 9. Instructor.
Reilly, S., Wake, M., Ukoumunne, O. C., Bavin, E., Prior, M., Cini, E., ... & Bretherton, L.
(2010). Predicting language outcomes at 4 years of age: findings from Early Language in
Victoria Study. Pediatrics, 126(6), e1530-e1537.
Rogalski, E., Khayum, R., McKenna, H., Wieneke, C., Corden, M. E., & Mesulam, M. M.
(2015). Communication bridge: Initial observations from an internet-based speech
therapy program for individuals with aphasic dementias. Alzheimer's & Dementia: The
Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 11(7), P575.
Sakai, K., & Momosaki, R. (2016). Real-world Effectiveness of Speech Therapy Time on
Cognitive Recovery in Older Patients with Acute Stroke. Progress in Rehabilitation
Medicine, 1, 20160004.

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Schleppegrell, M. J. (2013). The role of metalanguage in supporting academic language
development. Language Learning, 63(s1), 153-170.