What is the difference between speech & language?

Speech refers to the production of sounds. This is the way in which the lips, tongue, and jaw work together in a co-ordinated and sequenced manner to produce words and sentences.

The Speech Sound Treehouse illustrates the order of the development of sounds

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Clear speech is an important part of successful communication with adults and peers. By 4 years of age most of the speech sounds have developed, meaning that children can be understood by anyone who talks to them. The general order of the development of sounds is illustrated in the Speech Sound Treehouse .

Children may simply be delayed in their acquisition of particular speech sounds or present with a specific speech sound disorder. Childhood Apraxia of Speech is an example of a severe speech sound disorder that affects the child’s ability to accurately sequence sounds in words. More information on this disorder can be found at www.apraxia-kids.org

Language refers to the child’s use of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure as well as their ability to use these skills interactively to engage in a conversation.

The Speech & Language Screener helps identify concerns

Children need to both understand (comprehend) and use language (express) to communicate a range of ideas and messages. These spoken language skills provide the foundation on which children build their written language abilities.

A quick speech and language screener has been designed to support parents and educators to identify possible concerns related to speech development. Access to this resource is via our webinar. Please email admin@speechforkids.com.au for more information.

 

Services we offer

SOUNDS WEBINAR

S.P.E.E.C.H. has available a Let’s Talk About Speech Sounds Webinar which teaches participants to use our speech sound screener and speech sound intervention book packs. For more information contact admin@speechforkids.com.au

LANGUAGE PROGRAMS

S.P.E.E.C.H. Pty Ltd offers Talk and Play Language Groups. Two groups are offered – Early Words and Early Sentences. These are a small group language programs that aims to support parent child interactions and communication development. To register your interest in these programs please contact us at admin@speechforkids.com.au.

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