Social Communication Therapy 

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) focuses on difficulties associated with social interaction, social understanding and pragmatics. Pragmatics refers to using language in proper context. It has three components including: 

1.The ability to use language for different purposes (e.g. to greet, inform, demand).

2.The ability to adapt language to meet the needs of the listener or situation (e.g. talking differently to a child versus an adult, talking louder or quieter in different environments). 

3.Following the “unspoken” rules of conversation (e.g. taking turns in conversations, looking at the speaker, using facial expressions and gestures)

Therapy programs are created specifically for each child and family, based on the child’s strengths, interests, learning styles and areas of need. A child’s progress is consistently monitored to ensure the targets of speech-language therapy and the strategies implemented change as each child progresses. A speech language pathologist can assist children to:

- develop early language skills
- aid in the comprehension of verbal information
- expand vocabulary knowledge and use
- develop use of appropriate grammar and sentence structures
- help with verbal retell skills
- sequence ideas
- articulate their speech more clearly
- develop early literacy skills
- develop age appropriate social communication skills. 
- provide aural rehabilitation for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. 
- provide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for children with severe expressive or language comprehension disorders
- swallowing disorders or feeding difficulties

Services Provided at Kahl Therapy Corner include:

Evaluation: Information gathered through parent interview, report, observation, developmental history, standardized and criterion referenced assessments. 
 
Direct treatment: 45-60 minute sessions that are one-on-one with your child and the therapist

Group Therapy: 45-60 minute sessions with 2 or more children. Children may be typical peers or kids who have similar abilities.  

Consultation: Meeting with parents, teachers, caregivers, or any individual involved to discuss treatment strategies to be carried out at home, school, daycare or any other facilities the child may attend. 

Parent training: Meeting directly with parents and providing instructions of activities to be implemented out at home.

Home program: A program developed for the individual child to be implemented at home by the parents or caregivers.