Why is Early Intervention Important?
Are you concerned that your child’s speech or language skills are delayed?
Research has shown that early intervention can make a big difference in a child’s developmental trajectory. Identifying and treating speech and language delays early means your child has less to catch up on than if they do not start receiving services until they begin school.
The speech-language pathologists at Albuquerque Speech Language Hearing Center are trained to identify and treat young children who have speech and language delays. Early speech therapy can improve outcomes once they begin school. Communication is an integral part of our human nature, and these skills will be used for a lifetime.
Acting now and receiving high-quality speech therapy services at our center can help a child communicate, play, and interact with their world both now and in the future.
Pediatric Speech Therapy
Speech therapy encompasses a wide range of disorders including articulation, phonology, receptive and expressive language, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), pragmatics, fluency, motor speech disorders, swallowing, voice, cognition, and more.
- Articulation Disorders: Difficulty pronouncing certain sounds correctly. This often impacts how well they are understood by others.
- Phonological Disorders: Characterized by patterns of sound errors, where one sound is consistently substituted for another.
- Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): CAS falls under the umbrella of speech sound disorders but is a breakdown in the motor planning of speech production. Children with CAS know what they want to say but have difficulty forming the correct sounds.
- Fluency Disorders: Characterized by interruptions in the normal flow of speech. Stuttering – an abnormal repetition or prolonging of sounds, syllables, or words – is the most common fluency disorder.
- Voice Disorders: Involve difficulties with pitch, volume, or voice quality.
- Receptive Language: Understanding what is being said is a large part of communication. It includes understanding vocabulary, following directions, comprehending written language, and more.
- Expressive Language: Being able to let others know your thoughts in a clear, concise way is important. It includes the ability to use vocabulary appropriately and put words together in a way that makes sense.
- Pragmatics: Social interactions are a large part of life. They can include body language, facial expressions, how to respond when our emotions become heightened, and what to do if things don’t go our way.
- AAC: When using your voice isn’t something that is easy or possible, an AAC device may be a good option. By selecting words or pictures you can use a high-tech device to speak for you.
- Autism: Autistic children may present with various speech and/or language delays that SLPs specialize in.
If you are concerned your child has a speech disorder, please contact our office immediately. Early intervention is key for the social and linguistic development of your child.Â
Adult Speech Therapy
Adults may require speech therapy for a variety of reasons, including:
- Strokes
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Fluency (stuttering)
- Parkinson’s
- Voice changes
- And more
If you are an adult in need of speech therapy, contact the experts at Albuquerque Speech Language Hearing Center. Our speech pathologists can help you by diagnosing speech disorders and creating a treatment plan customized to your needs.
What to Expect at a Speech Therapy Appointment
When you visit Albuquerque Speech Language Hearing Center for you or your child’s speech needs, you can expect your appointment to be broken into three parts.
Screening: Pediatric speech and language screenings are scheduled in a 15-minute block and are used to determine if a full evaluation is warranted. A small, out-of-pocket payment is due at the time of services rendered. Insurance is not typically billed for screenings.
Initial Evaluation: Whether child or adult, a certified clinician will typically use a combination of formal and informal testing, patient interview/observation, and a thorough case history to determine whether or not speech therapy is necessary. Please bring a copy of the patient’s insurance card and completed case history paperwork.
Speech Therapy: Our speech therapy sessions are divided into 45-minute blocks. 30 minutes of this block will be spent in direct therapy. For our pediatric patients, parents may choose to accompany their child into the therapy session or wait in the waiting room.
For more information about our speech therapy services, or to schedule an appointment, please contact us.
Request Appointment
Clinic Hours
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
8:00am – 6:30pm
8:00am – 6:30pm
8:00am – 6:30pm
8:00am – 6:30pm
8:00am – 3:00pm
Audiology Department
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
8:00am – 5:00pm
8:00am – 5:00pm
8:00am – 5:00pm
8:00am – 5:00pm
8:00am – 3:00pm
Speech Department
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
8:00am – 6:15pm
8:00am – 6:15pm
8:00am – 6:15pm
8:00am – 6:15pm
8:00am – 12:00pm
Holiday Closures
Presidents Day
Memorial Day
JuneteenthÂ
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Black Friday
December 24 – January 1
Location
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9500 Montgomery Blvd NE
Suite 215
Albuquerque, NM 87111
Contact Us
- (505) 247-4224
- (505) 247-1772
