evaluation is initially done by a clinician to assess if the client actually needs to receive therapy. If the clinician recommends therapy, the client is eligible to begin receiving services the next semester. Treatment cannot start immediately since there are so few student clinicians and the cases are assigned at the beginning of each semester (September and January).

There is no way of knowing for sure when a child is very young if he/she will have learning difficulties later one. Depending on the type of language issues the child has and his/her age, there is frequently a correlation between expressive and receptive language difficulties and later difficulties in school with reading, writing, comprehending classroom content material, focus and attention. However, each case is individual and generalizations are not necessarily useful.

No, it's the opposite! All words are spoken and signed at the same time. When words and signs are used together, the meaning of the word is reinforced so signs can actually speed up the rate at which babies develop good use of language. Signs can also be extremely useful in a multi-lingual environment as a common link to help understanding and communication.

Students with speech impairments or dialect issues are not penalized. For example, if the letter is c and a student who has a frontal lisp, says, “th-ee,” that response iscorrect. The most common sound is counted as the correct response. Therefore, the hard sounds of c (as in cat and cute) and g (as in gate and get) are the correct responses. The soft sounds of c (as in city and cent) and g (as in gem and gist) are incorrect.

Genetic testing may determine whether your child's hearing loss is due to non-genetic causes or to a gene that causes hearing loss. From this information, professionals can calculate the likelihood that other children in your family may also have a hearing loss due to the same cause. A full genetic evaluation will also determine if there are other health conditions that also need to be addressed.

It is highly recommended that you find a tester who is familiar with the unusual characteristics of gifted children. A tester who commonly tests for ADD and other Learning Differences may be more likely to mistake some of the characteristics of a gifted child for the common characteristics of some Learning Differences. A tester unfamiliar with gifted children may start each section of the test far too low, boring and frustrating his young subject.

Such cases are rare. Furthermore, most child safety seats have quick-release buckles, making it easy for adults to unfasten.

Unlike motor skills, for example, speech development is much more secretive -- regardless of one or several languages. Additionally, it remains highly individual, so comparisons are always tricky. But, here are some indicators to keep tabs on your child's progress.

Share information about Video Voice with your child's speech therapist and ask for her assistance in determining if it may be helpful in resolving his particular speech errors. You can get a copy of the Version 3.0 CD and use the Free Trial option with your child at home, but we do recommend that you involve a speech professional before making a purchase decision, so you'll have guidance for using it most effectively.

This is one of the first questions a parent will ask about their child. It is also one of the most difficult to answer. Delays in speech and language skills can be associated with genetic, physical and environmental factors, but for most children, an obvious cause is hard to pinpoint. Pre-and perinatal factors such as alcohol consumption during pregnancy, low birth weight and anoxia (lack of oxygen at birth) can be implicated.

Strictly speaking, a delay means that children are learning to talk normally, but at a much slower rate than other children, whereas a disorder means that speech or language is developing in an unusual or abnormal way. Having said that, some professionals do not make a clear distinction between speech and language delay and disorder, while others use the term delay to describe any type of speech and language difficulty.

If you wonder whether your child understands spoken language and speaks as well as others the same age, you should contact a specialist. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) website includes a list of specialists in your area who can help answer your questions.

If your loved one is having any difficulties understanding language, expressing himself/herself or has difficulty swallowing, a referral to a Speech-Language Pathologist may be warranted. SLP's can provide the following services: Therapy for individuals with articulation/phonological disorders, apraxia, oral motor weakness, voice, language/learning disabilities and auditory processing disorders

State law requires that schools contact either of a child’s parents to verify a child’s absence from school for any reason, including illness, doctor’s or dentist’s appointments, or family vacation days. Unless the school has received notification of a child’s absence from a parent, the school must call the telephone numbers on the registration form to verify the absence. The home telephone will be called first.

We frequently work with local speech and occupational therapists to follow through on their recommendations for your child as part of our programs. Many of Bridges's former clients are now functioning at grade level with no additional support in regular education classrooms. Some of these had PDD diagnoses, and others had autism diagnoses. Several no longer fit the criteria for an autistic spectrum disorder diagnosis.

Apraxia of Speech is considered a motor speech disorder. A child with apraxia of speech has difficulty sequencing the motor movements necessary for volitional speech. Apraxia of speech may also be called verbal apraxia, developmental apraxia of speech, and verbal dyspraxia. No matter what it is called the most important factor is the root word "praxis." Praxis is the ability to execute skilled movement.

When GOS writes project participants we request text copies of the speeches and not media versions. GOS does not have the funding to expand its scope to include media at this time. As a result, we do not know of *any* sources for audio or video copies of the speeches presented at Gifts of Speech.

Although the state of Texas does not require testing of private school students, many parents give their children annual tests using nationally-normed achievement tests. Home schools in Texas are private schools. Home-school parents are law-abiding citizens and should not feel the need to hide their children during the day.

Have your pediatric dentist evaluate the fluoride level of your child's primary source of drinking water. If your child is not getting enough fluoride internally through water (especially if the fluoride level is deficient or if your child drinks bottled water without fluoride), then your pediatric dentist may prescribe fluoride supplements.

Orientation Evening / Curriculum Night is held as part of the first Family Meeting. Parents meet with teachers in the classroom to discuss the year's curriculum. Family conferences are scheduled twice a year, and twice yearly parents receive a report describing their child's progress. Additional meetings with staff may be scheduled by leaving a message with the school office or asking a teacher to call. A school newsletter, which includes a detailed calendar of events, is distributed monthly.