The Speech-Language Therapist in your child's school.

            What is the role of the speech-language therapist?

The speech-language therapist works with students who show significant delays in these areas:

Articulation - Saying some speech sounds incorrectly or not at all.

Voice disorders - A voice quality that is breathy, harsh, hoarse, or has inappropriate pitch or volume.

Fluency disorders (stuttering) - Interruption in the normal flow of speech by repeating or hesitating on sounds or entire words.

Language disorders - Difficulties in understanding or expressing ideas. Poor vocabulary, limited social skills, and poor sentence structure may also be a sign of a language disorder.

Williamsport Area School District offers speech-language support services in school. Cochran has two speech-language pathologists to meet your child's communication needs. If you have concerns regarding your child's speech or language abilities perhaps these guidelines will help:

• Is your child performing below expectations in the classroom?
  
• Does your child have difficulty expressing thoughts, ideas, and asking questions?
  
• Does your child have difficulty understanding what is spoken or have difficulty following directions?
  
• Does your child interact well with peers and adults?
  
• Is your child's speech easily understood?

It is perfectly normal for young children to have difficulty saying some sounds or words correctly and fluently at times. However, if you have concerns about your child's speech or language, please contact me at 322-9731 or at the email address below. Effective communication is an essential and life-long skill.

speech homework activities

lrunnels@wasd.org