Speech and Language Therapy
Ruth Osman Speech and Language Specialist rosman@springfieldschool.org
The role of the speech and language specialist in the schools is to provide speech and language therapy services to students, adv= ice to teachers in developing classroom activities and goals to improve students’ oral and written communication skills, and to work cooperatively with other specialists and staff in the school as well as parents. Speech and language = specialists identify and provide intervention for students with disorders of language, speech articulation, fluency, and voice. Speech and language services are o= ften delivered to students in a variety of school settings according to an Indiv= idualized Education Program (IEP).
Many children can exhibit delays in understanding lang= uage and using language. We recognize that language is essential to communicate = our needs, feelings and ideas with those around us. When a child has difficulty unders= tanding and using language it can impact his/her social and academic development in school.
Some children often demonstrate difficulty producing s= peech sounds. Speech articulation requires the correct production of sounds to form words. Children need sound development to communicate effectively. It i= s not uncommon for young children to have difficulty producing specific speech sounds. Speech sound developm= ent is often related to the child’s chronological age and may or may not be a problem.
Other children may exhibit non fluent speech (stutteri= ng) or may use an inappropriate pitch, volume, or quality of voice. These speech disorders may make it difficult for a child to communicate successfully in the classroom.
If you are concerned about your child’s speech a= nd language development, please contact the school Child Study Team.