Frequently Asked Questions

Yes we do. Please call us at ……………… for an initial consultation.

Yes we do. And we LOVE it! We provide individual and group instruction for children on the autism spectrum.

The majority of children produce their first “meaningful” word around 12 months of age. However, there are children who speak earlier and some who speak later. By 18 months of age a child should have a speaking vocabulary of 25 or more words. At this age they should be appearing to learn new words on a daily basis. At two years of age a child should have a vocabulary of more than 100 words and should be combining words into two word sentences (e.g. “want juice”). If your child appears to be delayed it is recommended that your child have a speech and language evaluation to determine if a problem exists.

Often, without speech and language intervention a child will develop speech and language skills and be speaking by the time they go to school. However, during the time that their speech and/or language skills were delayed his/her peers were developing a broader use of language and will continue to be ahead of your child. In addition, your child may have difficulty with the more subtle aspects of language that can interfere with social skills and create behaviour issues.

Children should begin to use words by the time they are 12 months old and should be talking by the age of two years. Two-year-old children should have a vocabulary of 100 or more words and should be forming short sentences. Children as young as 12-18 months, whose parents have concerns about communication skills should probably be seen by a speech-language pathologist. When delays are present it is not a good idea to take the “wait and see” approach.
Though late talking children tend to catch up with their peers, research has shown that they often have difficulty with reading and spelling and overall learning skills. Early intervention is the key to developing age level appropriate communication skills.

Yes, parents are strongly encouraged to attend the sessions with their child if possible. If parent is unable to attend maybe someone else such as grandparent or other relative may attend. It is important that the family be aware of the goals and strategies so that they may work on the goals at home throughout the week.

Yes, we do home visits or any preferred location based on mutual consent and availability of Therapists

Yes, we can work in conjunction with daycares and schools. However, we do charge for mileage and/or the time it takes to travel to and from their school/daycare. We do recognize that some children are sometimes better seen for speech therapy in their school/daycare.

This is a difficult question to answer and it varies depending on the nature of the speech problem, the age of the child, the nature of the child and the results of the assessment. The Speech Language Pathologist may be able to give you some idea as to the length of the therapy after the assessment or once therapy has been initiated.

Yes we do. We feel it is very important for the team members to communicate with each other.

Usually, Speech Therapy is covered by employer insurance plan and extended health benefits. Please see our Funding resources page.

A: If you have any concerns whatsoever regarding your child’s communication abilities, a consultation with a speech-language pathologist is warranted. There is a wide range of what is considered to be “normal” at each stage of development. Some things to watch for include:
• - Articulation: the child is particularly difficult to understand, or has difficulty saying specific speech sounds
• - Early language: the child has limited verbal language by age 2, or has difficulty understanding simple questions or following basic commands
• - Preschool/School-aged language: the child has difficulty following directions, answering questions, or expressing himself.
• - Learning difficulties: reading comprehension and writing are difficult for the child at any level (early elementary to high school).
• - Stuttering: the child is frequently repeating sounds or words, speech is not flowing smoothly, or there are visible signs of tension or distress when talking
• - Voice: the child’s voice sounds particularly hoarse (in the absence of a cold or allergies) or is excessively loud or soft
• - Swallowing: the child is experiencing difficulties with feeding or swallowing (such as reduced oral control, tongue thrust)
• - Social communication : the child has difficulty interacting appropriately with peers, other children or adults

If you have any concerns about communication or swallowing, a consultation with a speech-language pathologist is warranted. You are never too old to make positive changes to how you communicate. Specific areas of concern that we can assist you with include:
• - Accent Reduction: if your speech is difficult to understand by employers, colleagues, customers, or social contacts
• - Articulation: if sound difficulties affect your speech quality (e.g., a lisp, difficulties with “r” sound)
• - Hearing-related communication difficulties
• - Neurologically-based problems which impact communication (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Stroke, Brain Injury)
• - Reading comprehension or writing challenges which impact on educational or vocational success
• - Voice difficulties (e.g., when the voice sounds hoarse or strained in the absence of a cold or allergies)
• - Stuttering
• - Swallowing challenges with various food textures and fluid consistencies

In order to practice as a speech-language pathologist in the province, we must be registered with the College of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists of Ontario (CASLPO).
All of our speech-language pathologists can provide services to children and adults of any age.

We can see both adults and children without a doctor’s referral. However, some extended health insurance plans require a referral in order to reimburse the client for fees paid. Please check with your individual insurance policy in order to determine the specific limitations and requirements of your plan.

Payments must be received by our company via CASH, cheque or INTERAC e-transfer at the time the services are provided unless a written agreement has been set up with an external funding source. Please note that we are unable to directly bill our services to your Extended Health Plans.

For children, services may be available through your child’s school or through local health departments or child development agencies. However, waitlists for these services are often lengthy or services are limited. Many families choose to see a private speech-language pathologist due to these reasons.
For adult services, some hospital offer outpatient services to patients, particularly after they have been discharged from hospital. Please check with your local hospital to determine if any services are available.
There are often ways to secure funding for clients who are unable to pay the costs for private treatment.

It depends. Each client will have an individualized program. The amount of time required will depend on the specific needs of the client and the concerns identified. Some clients only require one or two sessions, whereas some clients are with us for extended periods of time. Your speech-language pathologist will be able to give you a better idea regarding the duration of treatment once an assessment has been completed, or once therapy has been initiated.

Yes.
If your child has ASD, he/she has social communication difficulties. These might include:
• joint attention,
• referencing and eye contact,
• shared enjoyment of activities
• having difficulty playing with peers,
• taking turns in conversations
• understanding other people’s intentions
• understanding other people’s perspectives
In addition, your child might have difficulties with:
• motor speech skills (articulation of speech sounds),
• understanding language
• using language
• telling stories
• understanding jokes
Some children with ASD might be nonverbal and thus need an augmentative and alternative communication system. These systems are designed by SLPs.
An SLP is trained to assess, diagnose and treat the above goals.