Speech Therapy for Preschoolers in Dallas, Texas
Dallas Reading and Language Services can help your child with speech delays such as articulation, phonological disorders, apraxia, or dysarthria. Preschool-aged children often respond well to improving their speech skills. Through therapy, sounds become easier for them to hear and produce. Speech cue programs, in addition to direct kinesthetic, auditory or visual feedback are great for children of this age group. Our program has a hand cue for each sound, along with picture cards that represent each sound with its letter match. These cards can also be used as a beginning program to address reading skills in children that are not ready for other traditional multi-sensory reading programs.
DRLS assists young children who have language delays by providing language stimulation in a structured environment. Language therapy with young children is designed to expose the child to language forms and concepts. Therapy also provides a meaningful format for the child to practice and succeed on their level. This will help the child build categories and increase their understanding of how concepts are put together and related to one another.
Therapy for preschool-aged children is done within a context of literacy through using speech cues with letters, using story cards and other stories, sequencing common activities, using story boxes, and using words in addition to targeted pictures and objects. This highly individualized approach targets each child’s communication weaknesses while capitalizing on the child’s strengths. Dallas Reading and Language Services‘ therapy with preschool children is structured to be literacy rich.
Children who have language difficulties in preschool are at higher risk for learning problems, and these should be monitored and addressed early. Family members are allowed to observe therapy in the room as long as their presence does not affect the child’s participation. Parents receive regular updates on their child’s therapy, either through written notes or verbally. This is in addition to monthly progress reports and biannual evaluations.
Our Speech Cue Cards, developed by Rachel Betzen, M.A., CCC/SLP are available for free download at our site for developing preliteracy skills, www.preliteracy.com.
