Pediatric Speech Therapy

Pediatric Speech Therapy

Quality, individualized treatment in the areas of:

  • Articulation – pronouncing sounds to make words
  • Receptive Language – understanding of spoken or written language
  • Auditory Processing – how the brain processes information that it hears
  • Expressive Language – the ability to communicate wants, needs, thoughts, and ideas
  • Pragmatics – social understanding and appropriate use of language in social situations
  • Oral Motor Weakness – weakness of the tongue, jaw, lips and facial muscles
  • Tongue Trust – when the tongue movies forward inappropriately during speech
  • Apraxia – disruption in the signal from the brain to the muscles to coordinate the movement of the lips, tongue, jaw and facial muscles
  • Cognitive Impairments – disruptions in the ability to think, put together ideas, concentrate, reason  and remember

Picky Eater Versus Problem Feeders

Defined By Picky Eaters Problem Feeders
# of foods in food range consistently eaten when presented Decreased range or variety of foods; typically has 30 or more foods in their food range Restricted range or variety of foods, usually eats less than 20 foods
Loss of foods from food range Foods lost due to “burn out” from food jagging are usually eaten again after a 2 week break Foods lost due to “burn out” from food jagging are not eaten again after a break, resulting in a further decrease in the # of foods eaten
Ability to eat foods from all categories of foods on their plate Eats at least one food from most all nutrition or texture groups (e.g. purees, meltable foods, proteins, fruits) Refuses entire categories of food textures or nutrition groups (e.g. soft cubes, meats, vegetables, hard mechanicals)
Tolerance of new foods on their plate Can tolerate new foods on their plate; usually able to touch or taste food (even if reluctantly) Cries, screams, tantrums “falls apart” new foods are presented; complete refusal
Ability to eat the same foods as their family Frequently eats a different set of foods at a meal than other family members (typically eats at the same time and at the same table as other family members) Almost always eats a different set of foods than their family; often eats at a different time or at a different place than other family members
Duration and report of “pickiness” Sometimes reported by parent as a “picky eater” at well-child check-ups Persistently reported by parents to be a “picky eater” at multiple well-child check-ups
Ability to learn to eat new foods Learns to eat new foods in 2025 steps on a steps to eating hierarchy Requires more than 25 to learn to eat new foods

Fun Sensory Integration Activities that Promote Speech/Language

  • Play-doh, Funny Foam, Gak
  • Heavy work activities for counting, learning basic concepts
  • Sand/Water Play
  • Sensory diets that promote chewing/crunching
  • Oral Motor toys – blow toys, chewy tubes, whistles, straw, tooth brushing
  • Social skills development with social games/scripts to work on joint attention, taking turns, waiting,  winning/losing and playing in groups

Contact Information

Pedatric Therapy: (712) 722-8125

More Information