Speech Language Pathology Division

Initial Consultation:

Taking parents notes and concerns
Noting patient’s medical and family history
Observing the child
Referring the child to another specialist outside JISH if needed such as an ENT or a neurologist
Booking an appointment for the speech and language comprehensive assessment

The Speech and Language comprehensive assessment comprises of the following

A detailed study of the patient and family history
Administering standardized tests and other specialized diagnosis tools for communication disorders
Analyze test results and prepare a detailed report with the diagnosis, therapist impressions, and recommendations for the proposed therapy program
General observation of child’s behavior and examination of speech organs
Duration of evaluation ranges between 60 to 180 minutes, depending on the case and type of disorder

Speech and language disorders:

Voice Disorders:

It is a disorder that causes a change in tone, intensity, or quality of sound. Among the most common sound disorders are the Vocal Nodules on one or both sides of the vocal cords and the Vocal Cords Paralysis.

Resonance Disorders:

These disorders occur due to organic factors in the throat, pharynx, and nose, or as a result of a problem with the function of the cricopharyngeal valve, and the incision of the roof of the throat with or without the presence of an incision in the lips (the articular lip) is one of the most common causes of resonance disorders and can result in increased nasal sound (beetle) Reduced nasal voice or ringing of the voice in the pharynx. Treatment for simple nasal vocalization (focus) is focused on speech exercises to correct where the air is removed. In cases of severe and moderate beetle, treatment may be either by surgery or the use of assistive devices, and the role of a speech specialist in this case is to assess the patient before and after the surgery, as well as the rehabilitation process.

Fluency Disorders “Stuttering”:

It is a person’s repetition of syllables, letters or words in a way that exceeds the normal range, which impedes the individual’s communication. Stuttering may be accompanied by certain behaviors such as altered facial expressions or compression of hands and eye twitching. These disorders often have negative psychological impact on the patient. Early intervention is effective in eliminating stuttering in children.

Communication Disorders Caused by Brain Injuries:

Disorders caused by stroke include Traumatic Brain Injuries, and symptoms of disorders vary according to the cause leading to the injury. Aphasia, which is defined as the loss or damage of language due to a brain injury, and its symptoms include difficulties in understanding or expression, the severity of which varies from person to person. As for sudden brain injuries, they cause a cognitive failure to communicate. This may cause Apraxia, a malfunction in the programming of the muscular movements of the oral system needed to form speech. There is also Dysarthria, which is difficulty in the process of moving the muscles that participate in preparing for and performing speech due to an organic defect. People with neurological diseases are often exposed to such disorders such as Parkinson’s patients, sclerosis and cerebral palsy, as these diseases affect the functions of the body organs responsible for the speech process.

Dysphagia:

It is the inability to swallow or eat some or all the foods. This disorder is common in elderly people in hospitals, and those with stroke and brain injuries, as well as in children with nervous system disorders.

Hearing Disorders:

Any hearing impairment diagnosed by an audiologist is often managed by dispensing hearing aids for these children. Another solution is the Cochlear Implantation to eligible candidates for such operation. A team of speech therapists, audiologists and ENT surgeons take part in the selection and rehabilitation process of children who are candidates to undergo Cochlear Implantation, and play a key role in the post-cochlear implant rehabilitation process

Speech Disorders:

These disorders include the substitution, alteration, or deletion of speech sounds in a degree that constitutes an obstacle for the person’s communication with others. For example: the child says “tar” instead of “car”. The severity of these disorders varies from child to child, and early diagnosis of these disorders plays an important and essential role in the success rate of the rehabilitation process.

Another type of speech disorder is called Developmental Apraxia of Speech, which is a nervous system disorder that affects the ability to correctly sequence and produce sounds in syllables and words, where the problem lies in the brain’s programming of the movement of speech organs (such as lips, jaw, and tongue) ). The child knows what he/she wants to say, but the brain cannot send instructions to move the organs used to create speech in the correct way.

What is Speech?

Speech is the process of converting language into symbols by forming sounds and syllables to reach the listener correctly.

What Are Functional Speech Disorders?

It is the difficulty of forming sounds and connecting them to each other in a regular and clear way, commensurate with the person’s age and gender

What Are the Causes of Functional Speech Disorders?

Congenital defects: the birth of a child with a congenital abnormality in any part of the body during the initial stages of the development of the formative cell due to its exposure to some abnormal factors about the nature of the development of the fetus, such as a hard and soft cleft palate and lip.

Hearing Factors: Any hearing impairment leads to speech difficulties

Anatomical reasons: an imbalance in the speech organs such as mismatch of teeth, large or small size of the tongue, tongue ligation

Developmental Language Disorders:

About 10% of children are diagnosed with developmental language disorders. It is characterized by the child’s difficulty in understanding, expressing, and socially using language. This makes it hard on the child to integrate in his/her surroundings. Linguistic developmental disorders are divided into two main types, one of which has no clear organic cause, and is sometimes known as Specific Language Impairment, and the other is characterized by the presence of a known organic cause behind these disorders, as we see it in children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Loss, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Speech and Language Rehabilitation for Children Diagnosed with Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Many individuals with ADHD have communication problems. Therefore, the role of the speech and language therapist is important in addressing these issues and providing proper therapy. The speech language pathologist evaluates the receptive and expressive language skills and social communication skills of the individual with ADHD. Then, SLPs Create an individualized treatment plan based on the evaluation results. They work with families and teachers to make remedial goals work at home and at school. A speech and language therapist can work with children with ADHD on the following:

Social Communication Skills Development
Improve attention and skill to listen and understand speech
Understanding non-verbal (body) language
Understanding physical gestures and facial expressions
Improving verbal and written expressive language