Assessments:
Affinity Speech and Language will informally and formally assess new clients to determine their exact area of need and level of support. A formal assessment is one where test data is used to develop a conclusion where as an informal assessment is not data driven but rather content and performance driven. In addition, Affinity Speech works closely with our client's family and educational team to complete comprehensive assessments for children with autism or social communication challenges that includes extensive observation in various settings. We will also review all previous assessments administered and complete additional testing if needed. At Affinity Speech, we feel that assessments should carefully consider an individual's strengths as well as explore areas in need of support.
Pragmatic or Social Language:
Pragmatics is the area of language function that embraces the use of language in social contexts (knowing what to say, how to say it, when to say it - and how to "be" with other people). Children and teens with pragmatic or social language deficits require specific skills to be taught and practiced inside and outside of therapy. Evidence suggests that to facilitate generalization and maintenance of effects, social skills training programs should occur in natural settings. Social language therapy is designed around the student's natural interests and sessions are often play based and follow the child's lead.
Fluency/Stuttering:
A fluency disorder is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by atypical rate, rhythm, and repetitions in sounds, syllables, words, and phrases. This may be accompanied by excessive tension, struggle behavior, and secondary mannerisms.
Our goal at Affinity Speech and Language Therapy is to give our clients the tools needed to better control their speech. We believe practicing fluency strategies in the real world is the best place for generalization.
Receptive Language and Expressive Language:
Receptive Language is the processing and understanding of language and Expressive Language is the ability to express oneself through proper formation and use of language. In order to help our clients with receptive language, Affinity Speech and Language teaches client's strategies to become aware of distractions at school and at home. In addition, we teach our clients strategies to retain auditory information and improve their ability to follow and remember multi-step directions.We assist our client's expressive language skills by facilitating word-finding, improving their expressive grammatical formulation, and expanding their ability to elaborate on various topics.
Written Language:
Writing independently without the need for constant prompts and reminders is our goal for our clients. We give our clients the tools to effectively initiate, plan and complete writing tasks. We are strong believers in Crick Software to assist all writers and ages with their writing. We determine which product our client might benefit from the most and then train the client as well as their families on the software.
Executive Functioning:
Executive functions consist of several mental skills that help the brain organize and act on information. These skills enable people to plan, organize, remember things, prioritize, pay attention and get started on tasks. They also help people use information and experiences from the past to solve current problems. Whether it’s binder organization, time management, study skills, forgetting things or appointments, we can help provide your child with visuals, technology and training to help build executive functioning skills.
Selective Mutism:
Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder in which an individual is not able to speak aloud in specific situations when there is an expectation of conversational speech. Affinity Speech and Language provides step-by-step treatment to help a student speak in more contexts and also to help lower their overall anxiety around speaking. We work with the parents, child, and the school in order to help create a cohesive treatment program.
Articulation:
An articulation disorder is the atypical production of speech sounds characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions or distortions that may interfere with intelligibility. Whatever the sound error, Affinity Speech and Language will make articulation practice fun and create home programs to help clients generalize the sounds into everyday contexts.
Affinity Speech and Language will informally and formally assess new clients to determine their exact area of need and level of support. A formal assessment is one where test data is used to develop a conclusion where as an informal assessment is not data driven but rather content and performance driven. In addition, Affinity Speech works closely with our client's family and educational team to complete comprehensive assessments for children with autism or social communication challenges that includes extensive observation in various settings. We will also review all previous assessments administered and complete additional testing if needed. At Affinity Speech, we feel that assessments should carefully consider an individual's strengths as well as explore areas in need of support.
Pragmatic or Social Language:
Pragmatics is the area of language function that embraces the use of language in social contexts (knowing what to say, how to say it, when to say it - and how to "be" with other people). Children and teens with pragmatic or social language deficits require specific skills to be taught and practiced inside and outside of therapy. Evidence suggests that to facilitate generalization and maintenance of effects, social skills training programs should occur in natural settings. Social language therapy is designed around the student's natural interests and sessions are often play based and follow the child's lead.
Fluency/Stuttering:
A fluency disorder is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by atypical rate, rhythm, and repetitions in sounds, syllables, words, and phrases. This may be accompanied by excessive tension, struggle behavior, and secondary mannerisms.
Our goal at Affinity Speech and Language Therapy is to give our clients the tools needed to better control their speech. We believe practicing fluency strategies in the real world is the best place for generalization.
Receptive Language and Expressive Language:
Receptive Language is the processing and understanding of language and Expressive Language is the ability to express oneself through proper formation and use of language. In order to help our clients with receptive language, Affinity Speech and Language teaches client's strategies to become aware of distractions at school and at home. In addition, we teach our clients strategies to retain auditory information and improve their ability to follow and remember multi-step directions.We assist our client's expressive language skills by facilitating word-finding, improving their expressive grammatical formulation, and expanding their ability to elaborate on various topics.
Written Language:
Writing independently without the need for constant prompts and reminders is our goal for our clients. We give our clients the tools to effectively initiate, plan and complete writing tasks. We are strong believers in Crick Software to assist all writers and ages with their writing. We determine which product our client might benefit from the most and then train the client as well as their families on the software.
Executive Functioning:
Executive functions consist of several mental skills that help the brain organize and act on information. These skills enable people to plan, organize, remember things, prioritize, pay attention and get started on tasks. They also help people use information and experiences from the past to solve current problems. Whether it’s binder organization, time management, study skills, forgetting things or appointments, we can help provide your child with visuals, technology and training to help build executive functioning skills.
Selective Mutism:
Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder in which an individual is not able to speak aloud in specific situations when there is an expectation of conversational speech. Affinity Speech and Language provides step-by-step treatment to help a student speak in more contexts and also to help lower their overall anxiety around speaking. We work with the parents, child, and the school in order to help create a cohesive treatment program.
Articulation:
An articulation disorder is the atypical production of speech sounds characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions or distortions that may interfere with intelligibility. Whatever the sound error, Affinity Speech and Language will make articulation practice fun and create home programs to help clients generalize the sounds into everyday contexts.