Content By: Logan Rudd | Therapeutic Endeavors Intern

• Phonemic Awareness and Phonics:
  • Speech therapy helps children develop phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in words. This skill is critical for learning how to read and spell.
• Building Vocabulary and Comprehension:
  • A large vocabulary helps children understand what they read and engage in meaningful conversations. Speech therapists work on vocabulary building through interactive reading, storytelling, and word games.
• Speech Therapy and Fluency:
  • Fluency is about reading smoothly and with expression. Children with speech delays or articulation disorders often struggle with fluency. Speech therapy helps kids practice the sounds and patterns of language that are essential for fluent reading.
• Supporting Writing Skills:
  • Writing requires not just spelling but also the ability to organize thoughts, form sentences, and express ideas clearly. Speech therapy helps children develop the language skills needed to write effectively.

• Articulation and Sound Recognition
  • Speech therapists help children with articulation disorders, where they may have difficulty pronouncing sounds correctly. Clear articulation is crucial for both reading and writing, as it ensures children can recognize and produce the sounds they encounter in words, which is foundational for decoding and spelling.
• Improving Listening and Auditory Discrimination
  • Effective reading begins with listening. Speech therapy helps children improve their auditory discrimination, or the ability to distinguish between similar sounds and words. This skill is essential for accurate reading comprehension and understanding of spoken and written language.
• Speech Therapy and Sentence Structure
  • Understanding sentence structure is important for both reading comprehension and writing. Speech therapists help children develop the skills to form correct sentences, which in turn supports the child’s ability to understand what they read and express their ideas clearly when writing.
• Encouraging Expression and Communication
  • Speech therapy fosters expressive language skills, helping children develop the ability to convey their thoughts clearly and with appropriate tone and emphasis. This is particularly helpful for reading aloud, where expression and understanding of language patterns are vital for fluency and comprehension.