Speech Therapy

Speech-language pathologists, also known as speech-language therapists, help children with a wide range of diagnoses including hearing loss, cerebral palsy, autism or other developmental delays. We often work with children who have:

• Delayed speech and language (sometimes referred to as late talkers)
• Trouble pronouncing (articulating) sounds
• Difficulty putting words together in sentences or understanding sentences
• Trouble speaking smoothly (stuttering or stammering)
• Feeding or swallowing disorders (pediatric dysphagia)

Most of our work with young children is through play therapy. Since you know your child best, we work with families as a team, offering materials, activities and ideas for home-based support.

How we help

Mary Bridge Children’s speech-language therapists provide evaluation, treatment, consultation and family education in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Our treatment programs are designed to meet each child’s individual developmental needs in a playful, positive way.

Most children attend weekly 45-minute therapy visits, and typically family members are welcome to attend (though in some cases children may work best on their own with the therapist).

We often provide skilled therapy for a specific period of time, which is followed by practice at home. After that period of practice, we’ll determine skill level and need for additional therapy. While it is not possible to predict results, most of our patients show progress within a few months of starting therapy, with regular attendance, consistent participation in home-based activities and family support.

Learn more about our specific areas of focus below.

Speech and language difficulties

We help children improve their pronunciation of sounds and words, their understanding of spoken language and their ability to express ideas to others. Our dedicated staff support children with a variety of language delays, language disorders and social communication difficulties.

Aural rehabilitation

Aural rehabilitation is a type of therapy for children with hearing loss. This therapy aims to improve a child’s ability to hear sounds and speech and to use speech to express themselves.

Clinicians at Mary Bridge Children’s provide aural rehabilitation therapy using an auditory-oral approach — the development of listening and speaking skills using hearing aids and/or cochlear implants.

Resonance disorders/cleft lip and palate

A child may have a resonance disorder if their voice sounds very nasal or if seems as if the sound is coming out of the nose. These differences in a child’s voice may be due to problems with anatomy. Resonance disorders can be associated with cleft palate and other medical conditions.

Mary Bridge Children’s Speech and Hearing Services is an active member of the Southwest Washington Maxillofacial Review Board, one of four regional teams in the state of Washington serving children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate. We provide evaluations for many challenges related to these conditions, such as difficulties with:

• Feeding and swallowing
• Language development
• Speech sound production
• Resonance
• Velopharyngeal function (how parts of the head and throat work together to produce speech)

Speech pathologists work collaboratively with plastic surgeons, dentists, orthodontists, otolaryngologists, geneticists, audiologists and oral surgeons in the community to support children and their families with resonance disorders.

Pediatric dysphagia

Speech-language therapists with specialized training in feeding and swallowing disorders, also known as pediatric dysphagia, serve infants and young children in both the hospital and outpatient settings.

Feeding specialists provide clinical feeding evaluation and feeding therapy to help children:

• Develop pre-feeding skills
• Transition to oral feeding
• Improve oral-motor control for eating and drinking
• Maximize feeding and swallowing safety

In collaboration with radiologists, our speech language therapists also conduct videofluoroscopic swallow studies. These tests make it possible to view food and liquid as it moves through the mouth and throat, evaluating a child’s swallowing ability. We use the results of these tests to develop individualized feeding plans.

Insurance coverage

Many health insurance plans cover speech therapy, but it’s a good idea to contact your insurance company to determine what is covered — some policies cover certain diagnoses but not others. For more information about health insurance coverage and speech therapy, visit the Washington Speech-Language-Hearing Association or the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Resources for families

We look forward to meeting you and your child. For more information about speech therapy and related topics, please visit our resource center.

For autism-related resources, please visit the Autism page within Mary Bridge Children’s Neurology.