SERVICES
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY
Speech therapy helps your child develop their speech and language skills. For example, your child may not articulate sounds and words correctly or may not have a vocabulary that allows them to communicate their thoughts and needs. A speech therapist can help your child develop both their speech and language skills.
Speech
Speech involves articulation, voice, and fluency. All three aspects of speech must come together for effective verbal skills.
- Articulation is the process of using the lips, mouth, and tongue to make sounds. A child that struggles with articulation may have trouble with certain sounds, such as the “R” or “TH” sounds.
- Voice is the use of breath and vocal cords to make sounds. Some voices are softer or louder than others, but a child needs to be able to use their voice to be understood.
- Fluency is the rhythm of speech. Disrupted fluency could lead to the repeated sounds of a stutter or getting stuck on a word in a stammer.
Language
Language involves both vocabulary and how a child uses their words to communicate. Children need to learn new words, what they mean, and how similar words can all have slightly different meanings, such as friend, friendly, and unfriendly. Learning to put together sentences is another important aspect of language.
What are the signs that my child needs speech therapy?
All children master the ability to speak at their own pace, and there is a wide age range that’s considered normal for certain speech and language milestones. However, some of the signs that your child may need support to improve their speech and language skills include:
​​
-
Lack of babbling and/or gesturing
-
Uses fewer than 20 words by 18 months, and less than 50 by age 2
-
Uses only a few sounds in all words
-
Unclear or immature speech
-
Not putting words together in phrases
-
Talks infrequently
-
Trouble using language socially
-
Trouble following simple directions
-
Difficulty recognizing letter sounds
Your child may also have speech difficulties if they have trouble latching onto your breast or a bottle to feed, or if they cough or gag on food. If you’re concerned about any of these signs or that your child’s speech development is delayed, call Kentucky Therapy Solutions to schedule an assessment today.
FEEDING THERAPY
Feeding therapy involves building skills and teaching techniques to help your child develop normal feeding behaviors. Feeding therapy is helpful for infants who have trouble latching onto the breast or a bottle nipple, or who have difficulty coordinating swallowing and breathing. Older children who refuse to try new foods or who exclude foods from their diet may also benefit from feeding therapy.
What are signs that my child needs feeding therapy?
Your child may benefit from feeding therapy if they demonstrate any of the following behaviors:
​
-
Has difficulty sucking
-
Has difficulty coordinating swallowing and breathing
-
Refuses to try new food
-
Pockets food in cheeks
-
Gags on food
-
Spits out textures
-
Vomits with feeding
-
Takes a longer time to feed than expected
-
Not transitioning to solid foods easily
-
Drops foods from diet eaten in the past
-
Easily upset with messy food play
If your child displays any of these behaviors, talk to Kentucky Therapy Solutions and schedule an assessment to determine if your child needs feeding therapy.
SCREENING
We offer initial screenings to identify potential deficits in speech and hearing. After the screening is completed, the Speech Language Pathologist will review the results with you and provide recommendations. If the screening indicates that further assessment is needed, the cost of the screening may be applied toward the cost of the evaluation.
ASSESSMENT
A comprehensive evaluation is performed by a certified Speech Language Pathologist to determine current strengths and weaknesses, based on clinical expertise. You will receive a written evaluation report, complete with formal assessment results, informal observations, background information, and recommendations for treatment.
THERAPY
Based on the results of the evaluation, the Speech Language Pathologist will work with you to develop a customized therapy program to address areas of concern.  Therapy is always individualized, based on current research and driven by the needs and interests of our clients.
CONSULT
We offer this service for unique client and family needs. We reserve these specialist consultations for once a month follow-up sessions, annual re-testing, extended evaluation review, pre-therapeutic recommendations, interdisciplinary team meetings, etc.
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT COURSE
A 6-week, 1-1 parent training program with Jessica, a certified Speech Language Pathologist. Each week, you will receive information on milestones, answers to FAQs and development myths, what to expect with language development, and tips/activities to help facilitate your child’s speech and language development. Your child does not need to have a formal language diagnosis or concerns to participate in this service. If you are a parent who wants to learn more about what to expect in early language development and how to facilitate it, this program is a fit for you. This service is provided via Teletherapy at this time.
LACTATION CONSULTATION
During this service, Jessica, a Certified Lactation Counselor, will complete a full assessment including pre/post feeding weights, observe a full feeding, assist with latching, provide helpful adjustments and create a personalized lactation care plan that supports your feeding goals. In addition, this visit will include a report for your primary care provider and email or call follow-up for additional questions.
TELETHERAPY
We recognize and understand the demands of daily life. If you are unable to attend your session in person, teletherapy is available for clients located anywhere in the state of Kentucky. We have years of experience treating clients via telehealth and believe it is an added benefit of KTS services.