Services
Who are Speech-Language Pathologists?
Speech-Language Pathologists provide the following services: education, diagnostics and treatment for infants, preschoolers, school aged children, adolescents, adults and seniors, collaboration with other professionals and research. Our clients may present us with hearing, speech, voice, resonance, language, communication, feeding, and swallowing challenges.
We possess a unique skills set. Speech-Language Pathologists hold graduate level Master’s, Master’s equivalent or Doctorate degree designations and are regulated by colleges, such as the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) of Ontario (CASLPO). We are further governed by the Regulated Health Professions Act/RHPA, and the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Act (1991). Our diverse work settings include child development centres, preschools, school boards, rehabilitation centres, government agencies, health units, industry, hospitals, community settings, preschool programs, community care access centres, colleges, universities and research centres, complex care or long term care centres, and private practice. We may see our clients directly on an individual basis, in groups or as consultants in school boards.
Our broad scope of practice includes intervention in the following domains
Language: This may be delayed or disordered. There may be a learning disability. Any modality or aspect of language may be involved (grammar, vocabulary, social use of language, speaking, listening, reading writing) as well as underlying behaviours including short term, long term, working memory or phonological awareness skills (precursors to spelling and reading). Therapists guide clients towards self-advocacy, targeting explicit skills for weaknesses and compensatory strategies using strengths. Accommodations are suggested for school and home.
Cognitive communication disorders are acquired and may be traumatic (i.e. head injury) or non-traumatic (i.e. stroke). Aphasia or language loss may occur as a result of a stroke.
Articulation disorders include challenges to pronounce one or more sounds.
Phonological disorders refer to ruleful error patterns such as final consonant deletion.
Motor speech disorders are challenges to organize sounds or their sequences, as a result of oral muscular differences and/or motor planning impairment (dysarthria, apraxia).
Fluency disorders (i.e., stuttering) involve disruptions in the smooth forward flow of speech.
Voice disorders are characterized by changes in quality, loudness and/or pitch, such as vocal nodules in children as a result of vocal abuse.
Resonance disorders may reflect too much airflow through the nose (i.e. in those with cleft palate) or too little airflow in the case of obstructions (enlarged tonsils).
Feeding challenges reflect difficulties with chewing, sensory challenges, swallowing (dysphagia), or using inappropriate lip-face-tongue-jaw movements, for eating and drinking.
Drooling: There are numerous causes affecting this and treatment options.
Oral resting mouth posture: There are factors affecting an abnormal mouth posture when at rest. Normally the jaw is up, lips are closed and the tongue lies in the upper quadrant of the mouth, ready for speech production.
Augmentative communication systems-visual strategies: Sometimes our clients require other forms of communication as an adjunct to support speaking or to replace it.