Speech and Language Outpatient Clinic

About Our Program

In the Speech and Language Outpatient Clinics, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) offer comprehensive assessments and intervention services to children and their families in the toddler through adolescent age range. Children seen at the clinic receive complete, in-depth speech-language evaluations from a SLP, accompanied by a hearing screening when indicated.

Areas of Specialty

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Bilingualism
Executive functioning
Expressive language (i.e., language use)
Feeding and swallowing
Fluency (i.e., stuttering)
Functional communication
Literacy (i.e., phonological awareness, decoding, reading comprehension and writing)
Oral motor strength and functioning
Pragmatic language and social skills
Receptive language (i.e., comprehension)
Speech sound production (i.e., articulation)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Based on the result of the assessment, SLPs may request that the children receive referrals to related health professionals, such as developmental medicine, mental health, neuropsychology, behavior psychology, social work, audiology, and physical and occupational therapists. Alternatively, SLPs function as part of an interdisciplinary team, coordinating findings and recommendations with other professionals. Options for speech-language treatment are discussed at the conclusion of the evaluation.

Mission Statement

It is the Speech-Language Department’s mission to provide high-quality, functional, evidence-based speech-language services to children and young adults with communication, executive functioning and feeding related disabilities by supporting relationships, safety, academics, mental health and independence. We honor an individualized and interdisciplinary approach to care that is reflective of personal and family priorities. We are committed to culturally responsive, anti-racist, and gender identity-affirming practices through a neurodiversity-affirming lens using clinical expertise, disability community values and strengths-based approaches.

Treatment

The clinic offers specialized intervention to support children and their parents in learning strategies for improving functional communication and oral motor or feeding/swallowing skills. Individual, small group and /or parent training service delivery options are available via in-person or telepractice, when appropriate. Duration of treatment varies from short-term (4-12 weeks) up to 6-month bouts of care. We strive to provide therapy in areas not fully addressed in the child’s current intervention plan (e.g., tutoring, Individualized Education Program, Individualized Family Service Plan, etc.) with the goal of transitioning to community and/or school-based services. Treatment sessions may be offered jointly with other departments, as appropriate.