Speech & Language Therapy
Speech, language, and communication are essential areas of development for children. These skills support us throughout life—helping us understand the world around us, express our needs and feelings, engage in meaningful conversations, think and learn, build relationships, solve problems, and so much more.
At Ignite Therapy Services, we take a neurodiversity-affirming approach, celebrating every child’s unique strengths while supporting areas of growth. We understand that each child’s journey is different, which is why we tailor therapy to meet individual needs.
Whether your child benefits most from weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly sessions, our goal is to provide the right level of support at the right time - helping every child thrive as a confident communicator.
Speech Sound/Articulation Disorders
Speech and articulation refer to a person’s ability to produce specific speech sounds correctly. A child with an articulation (or speech sound) disorder is likely difficult to understand. Most children make errors in articulation while they are learning to talk. Many will naturally outgrow these articulation errors or error patterns. When a child does not outgrow particular errors or error patterns, he or she may be at risk for an Articulation Disorder. If articulation errors persist past the age of natural suppression, it is important for the child to see a Speech-Language Pathologist so they can learn the strategies necessary to remediate their errors, and improve their overall intelligibility (ability to be understood by others).​
Common articulation errors include:
Substitutions: Replacing one sound with another sound. Examples: “wed” for “red,” “beet” for "feet" “dut,” for “duck”
Omissions (also known as deletions): Ommiting a sound in a word. Examples: “p-ay the piano” for “play the piano”, “g-een nake” for “green snake”
Distortions: Producing a sound in an atypical manner. Examples: frontal lisp for /s/, /z/
Additions: Inserting an extra sound within a word. Examples: “puhlay” for “play” “doguh,” for “dog”​​
To help determine if your child is reaching all of their developmental milestones, please references these charts shared by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (AHSA) which outline when children should reach each milestone.
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Receptive and Expressive Language Disorders
Children with expressive and receptive language disorders have difficulties communicating effectively with others. At Ignite Speech, we value diverse perspectives, communication styles, and ways of thinking. We combine evidence-based techniques with a neurodiversity-affirming approach to enhance receptive and expressive language skills.
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Expressive language refers to a person’s ability to use verbal or nonverbal communication in order to make connections with others and share thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Deficits in this area may include:
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Limited vocabulary
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Difficulty creating grammatically correct sentences
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Impaired sentence structure
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Inability to tell a story in order from start to finish
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Difficulty clearly conveying a concept or idea
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Difficulty recalling words
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Receptive language refers to a person’s ability to understand the spoken language, or information being presented to them. Children with receptive language disorders may have trouble with any of the following skills:
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Following verbal directions
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Reading comprehension
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Understanding complicated sentences
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Answering questions
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Understanding the names of things
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To help determine if your child is reaching all of their developmental milestones, please references these charts shared by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (AHSA) which outline when children should reach each milestone.
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Fluency Disorders (Stuttering & Cluttering)
A fluency disorder affects the natural flow, rhythm, and ease of speaking. The most common fluency disorder is stuttering, which may include:
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Repeating sounds, syllables, or words (e.g., “b-b-ball”)
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Prolonging sounds (e.g., “ssssun”)
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Getting “stuck” or blocked on a sound or word
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Physical tension or struggle when trying to speak
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Another type of fluency disorder is cluttering, where speech may sound rushed, with skipped sounds or words, making it hard to understand.
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It’s important to know that occasional disfluencies are normal, especially in young children as their language develops. A fluency disorder is diagnosed when disruptions in speech become frequent, noticeable, and begin to affect communication or confidence.
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At Ignite Therapy Services, our speech-language pathologists provide individualized therapy to help children and adults:
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Develop strategies for smoother, easier speech
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Reduce tension and frustration during speaking
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Build confidence in communication at school, work, and in daily life​
With the right support, people who stutter or clutter can become confident, effective communicators.
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