Virtual Speech Therapy Services in Ontario

Articulation is the way in which you produce words or sounds. Some children experience difficulties acquiring these sounds, resulting in unintelligibility or speech that is unclear and can be difficult to understand.

Phonology refers to speech patterns that the child may be using in error.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that affects the development of social interactions and communication skills. Individuals with ASD vary widely in their communication abilities.

At Zebra Therapy, we believe in creating an individualized therapy plan that best suits the individual and their families, based on current evidence-based practice. Areas that can be targeted include social communication, motor imitation, expressive and receptive language, and alternative communication.

Fluency is a speech disorder that involves frequent and significant problems with normal fluency and flow of speech. People who stutter know what they want to say, but have difficulty saying it. They may repeat or prolong a word, a syllable, or a consonant or vowel sound, or may insert pauses in their speech.

Children with Down syndrome may experience delays with speech and language. Some differences that impact speech and language include:

• Low facial muscle tone can make articulation challenging.

• A comparatively large tongue for their mouth size can make it harder to form sounds.

• Frequent ear infections can impact hearing due to the presence of fluid in the ears.

At Zebra Therapy, we use a combination of approaches to best suit the individual. Some of these approaches may include: PROMPT therapy for articulation of sounds/ low muscle tone, Phoneme Touch and Say, or early language strategies including Hanen’s It Takes Two to Talk.

Language development consists of expressive and receptive language. If your child is not hitting their speech and language milestones, it is recommended to consult with a speech pathologist.

We partner with parents to provide evidence-based strategies to strengthen communication in all forms.

Many of these strategies are based on Hanen’s It Takes Two to Talk or Hanen’s More Than Words programs.

A child who has difficulty formulating words or sentences and/or saying them with the correct grammar.

A child with an expressive language delay may have difficulties with:

• Asking questions

• Naming objects

• Using gestures

• Putting words together into sentences

• Using correct pronouns, like "he" or "they"

• Expressing their thoughts or feelings

  This can not only be frustrating for the child who cannot express themselves, but can affect other areas such as reading and writing, and social communication with peers.

  Talk to a speech pathologist today about how we can treat expressive language delays.

Literacy is our ability to read and write. In order to support children with speech, language, or reading delays, we often need to address the foundations of reading and writing.

At Zebra Therapy, we can assess these foundational skills for reading and writing to better support academic and personal success.

Talk to a team member today to learn more about our literacy and reading development programs that can be personalized to target each child’s needs.

A motor speech disorder is characterized by difficulties producing speech because of problems with motor planning or muscle tone needed to speak. There are two major types of motor speech disorders: dysarthria and apraxia.

At Zebra Therapy, our team has experience in providing effective hands-on therapy with training in Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT), Kaufman Speech To Language Protocol (K-SLP), and Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing (DTTC). Our team is dedicated to continuing education and training to provide effective and evidence-based therapies.

Receptive language refers to our understanding of language.

A child with receptive language difficulties may have difficulties with:

• Following directions

• Answering questions

• Pointing to objects and pictures

Receptive language delays can present across all ages. Talk to a speech pathologist on our team if you are concerned with your child’s ability to understand spoken or written language.

We have rules that we follow when we talk. We use facial expressions or gestures to share how we feel. We learn how to let someone know when we want to change the topic.

Social communication includes using language, changing language, and following rules.

If your child has a lot of problems with these rules, they may have social communication difficulties. They may also have other speech or language problems that should be address by. a speech pathologist

We can help your child learn how to use language with different people and in different situations. This can help with interactions with peers and adults.

A voice disorder is when the quality of a person's voice is noticeably different compared to the voice of someone the same age and gender. Children with voice disorders may have harsh or hoarse voices, voices that are too high or low, voices that are too loud or too quiet, or too nasal.

Many voice disorders are harmless and disappear on their own, though some require the help of a medical professional.

Talk to a team member at Zebra Therapy to identify any concerns about the voice quality of your child.