Speech Therapy Services
Articulation Disorders (Speech Sound Disorders)
These challenges are characterized by errors made when producing speech sounds. A child who does not accurately make that are expected for his/her age may have a speech sound disorder. The term “phonological disorder” is also used to describe some speech sound disorders.
Receptive & Expressive Language Disorders
Language is a representation of concepts. We use it when we think about and share information. A person with a language disorder may have challenges with listening and talking. Examples of language challenges include semantics (meaning of words, phrases, and sentences), syntax (combining words to form sentences), and morphology (how units of meaning are used in a sentence). Children who have challenges with spoken language often also struggle with learning to read and write. As a speech pathologist, Jennifer Austin is knowledgeable about language processing, language acquisition, and evidence-based treatment of language disorders and difficulties.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience challenges with social communication and social interaction and display restricted, repetitive behaviors. Individuals having ASD struggle with nonverbal communication and speech.
Fluency & Stuttering
Persons who stutter can be of any age and stuttering can be treated in persons of any age. Examples of stuttering include repeating parts of words, extending a sound, being blocked when attempting to talk. Persons who stutter frequently feel discomfort with their stuttering and avoid situations in which they are likely to stutter. People who stutter may display behaviors like eye blinking or head movements when stuttering.
Social Communication
Social communication skills include the ability to take the perspective of others, participate in social conventions (e.g., greetings, farewells, “small talk,” etc.), and initiate and respond in conversation. People who have social communication disorders struggle to interact and speak in ways that are expected in various contexts. People having social communication disorders frequently face challenges with making friends and communicating effectively in their academic life or on the job.
Voice
A voice disorder is present when voice quality, pitch, and loudness are not appropriate to a person’s age, gender, culture, or geographic area. (Aronson & Bless, 2009). A voice disorder occurs when an individual experiences voice challenges in daily functional communication. (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, [ASHA]).
“Jennifer has been working with my son who is 14 and has Down syndrome for nearly a year now, totally on Zoom. He has made great strides in conversational style speech with increasing clarity of word pronunciation. Jennifer seeks out my input for collaboration. She is flexible, fun and flows with ease through each session.”
-P. Long, St. Louis