Frequently Asked Questions About Speech & Language Therapy

No. You can contact Sol Speech & Language Therapy to begin treatment without a doctor’s referral. However, your insurance may require you to get a doctor’s referral before they cover treatment – check with your individual insurance plan for more information.

Speech development in very young children is a process. It begins with simple cooing and babbling, then becomes sound vocalizations, before eventually becoming words, phrases, and sentences.

While each child progresses at their own rate, there are certain milestones they’re expected to reach by certain ages.

Some of the signs your child may need speech therapy treatments for kids include:

• Making no attempt at vocalizing
• Not smiling
• Not laughing
• Not making eye contact
• Not interacting much or at all with others

These signs may be alarming, but the good news is that early intervention has been shown to be very effective at treating children with speech & language development issues.

When some folks think of speech therapy treatments, they might think of things like speech therapy for stuttering , or speech therapy for stroke recovery. These are both very valid reasons to seek out a speech therapist. But there’s more to it than that.

Speech & language issues in children can cause stuttering, lisping, or pronouncing words unusually. But they can also cause issues with their self esteem.

Additionally, it can signify deeper issues, like a learning disability or hearing issues.

These issues can cause trouble in social situations, causing your child to have trouble developing their social skills.

For these reasons, speech therapy for kids can make a big difference in helping your child thrive today, and to grow into healthier, better adjusted adults.

Each speech therapy appointment is a half hour long, with some exceptions. However, the number of treatments is difficult to predict. Each person is different, so each treatment plan is also different. You or your child may see immediate improvement, or it might be more gradual.

Either way, we’ll evaluate your progress regularly and report back to you on what your speech therapy outlook is like.

For many people, the frustration caused by their speech condition is enough to seek out treatment.

However, there are a number of other difficulties you might find on top of your condition. One of the most significant ones is self esteem. Not being able to communicate can lead to loneliness and social isolation. It can create difficulties in your interpersonal relationships in your personal, professional, and romantic life. It can get in the way of advancing in your career, and cause a great deal of social anxiety.

In many cases, speech therapy for adults can help you find relief.

There is nothing wrong with having an accent! An accent is not a speech disorder – it’s a fact of language. Everybody who speaks any language at all has an accent. And if you have an accent that you like, there’s no reason why you need to do anything to change it.

Some people find their accents can cause issues with their ability to be understood by the people around them, though. If this is the case with you, accent modification therapy might help you to be better understood by those here in the Austin area.

A pediatrician is a great resource when it comes to many different aspects of your child’s health. However, they don’t always have the training needed to be able to recognize when a child needs a speech therapist.

Rather, pediatricians often take the “wait and see” approach. If you have a concern, many pediatricians will provide you with a referral to see a speech therapist if you insist. If they don’t refer you, however, you don’t need a referral to see us.

If you’re concerned, feel free to reach out to Sol Speech & Language Therapy to book an evaluation. We’ll be able to provide definitive answers and strategies you can use today.

Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing your attention and awareness to what’s happening in the present moment, without judgment. There are a number of ways to achieve mindfulness, including through meditation. In the context of speech therapy, mindfulness is promising as an option to provide relief in a number of different studies, including for stuttering and aphasia.

Sensory integration therapy is a technique that can help both children and adults who struggle with sensory processing issues. For some people the process of making sense of the various sensory experiences we have – sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, body awareness, movement, and more – is frustrating and difficult. Sensory integration therapy exposes you to sensory stimulation in a structured & repetitive way, to help train your brain to better organize these experiences.