Q. When is a speech and/or language evaluation recommended?

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• Your child is not saying any recognizable words at 18 months of age.

• Your child is not putting words together by 2 years of age.

• Your child is not answering simple questions or following 2-part commands by age 3.

• Your child is not talking in sentences by 3 ½ years of age.

• Your child’s speech is difficult to understand compared to other children his/her age.

• Your child is having difficulty with pre-reading skills in kindergarten.

• Your child has difficulty following multi-step directions.

• Your child uses immature grammar and sentence structures after the age of 5.

• Your child has difficulty understanding and/or remembering new concepts and vocabulary at school.

• Your child has difficulty expressing his/her thoughts and ideas in complete, grammatical and cohesive utterances.

• If you have any concerns that your child may be “stuttering”.

• If your child’s voice quality sounds different in any way or is calling attention to how the child sounds versus what the child is saying.

• If your child has difficulty interacting with peers or other adults in social situations.

 

Q. When is an orofacial myofunctional evaluation recommended?

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• If your child drools other than when teeth are coming in.

• If you or your child is a loud eater and/or messy eater.

• If you or your child is a mouth breather.

• If you or your child has a forward tongue posture that is visible during rest and/or speech.

• If you or your child has difficulty staying asleep at night, snores, or "thrashes" in their sleep. 

• If you or your child has spent a long time in orthodontics or if you or your child is in orthodontic relapse.

• If you or your child is or has a history of being a thumbsucker or used a pacifier beyond 1 year old.

Q. When is Occupational Therapy recommended for Children?
 

• Your child has difficulty attending to activities and/or difficulty completing tasks.

• Your child has frequent tantrums and has difficulty transitioning between activities.

• Your child is nervous, sensitive, or avoids a variety of places or activities such as climbing or swinging.

• Your child resists or requires more assistance than typical with eating, sleeping, dressing, toileting, bathing, or toothbrushing.

• Your child has difficulty with school-related tasks such as reading and writing. 

• Your child seems “weak,” tires easily, and/or leans on objects frequently. 

Q. When is the Feldenkrais Method Integrative Bodywork recommended for Children?
 

• Your baby is frequently “fussy” and resists “tummy time.”

• Your child seems “clumsy” and tends to trip or fall frequently.

• Your child did not meet motor milestones for rolling, sitting, crawling, or walking.

• Your child “butt scoots” instead of crawling.

• Your child tilts their head to one side most of the time.

• Your child “toe walks.” 

• Your child “W-sits.”

• Your child has been diagnosed with Scoliosis

 
Q. When is the Feldenkrais Method Integrative Bodywork recommended for Adults?
 

• You experience frequent muscle tightness, stiffness, and/or pain/clicking/popping.

• You tend to clench your mouth and/or have TMJ pain.

• You have been diagnosed with Scoliosis.

• You have difficulty turning your head to look for cars while driving.

• You were in a car accident.

• You have difficulty moving in & out of positions such as sitting to standing or getting on/off the floor.

• You work on a computer most of the day and experience tight shoulders or sore neck/back.

• You play sports and would like to increase athletic abilities.

• You are a performer and would like to explore movement abilities for increased ease of performance.

• You are pregnant and are planning a natural birth or experiencing pain.

• You are postpartum and experience incontinence or pain.

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Q. What happens during an evaluation?

 

The first appointment is usually a formal evaluation (sometimes using standardized tests that can compare your child’s performance with other children the same age). We assess structures, muscles and function. Standardized testing can involve pointing to and naming pictures for single words or sentences, following directions, recognizing how words go together, and answering questions about what was said, to name a few examples. We follow a more medical model versus an educational one and are more holistic in our approach to patient care, so recommendations sometimes require referrals to other professionals that may need to be involoved in the patient's care. We discuss findings and recommendations at the evaluation but written reports typically take 2 weeks.

 

At Mequon Speech and Learning Connection/Milwaukee Myo, we provide comprehensive speech, language, and orofacial myofunctional evaluations for infants through young adults. Adult assessments are available for disorders related to motor dysfunction affecting speech, swallowing, tongue placement at rest, and dentition.

 

Q. What if my child does not talk or is very shy?

 

For children, of any age, play activities are often incorporated as part of the informal assessment.  So much information can be gleaned by observing a child in play!  Play activities can also be used as reward for completing formal tasks. Parent/caregiver input is very important to the evaluation process and you may be asked to complete questionnaires or answer questions in an interview.   Parents can remain in the room for the evaluation session, but the child often attends better to the clinician when the parent is not present.

 

Q. What happens after the evaluation?

 

You will receive a written report with test findings, interpretations of results, and recommendations. Recommendations may include a home program, direct speech/language therapy, or consultation with school staff or other professionals. You will determine with whom you wish to share the report. You will need to sign a Release of Information Form (see forms section) if you would like your therapist to share information with others.

 

If direct therapy is recommended, we provide individual or group sessions at Mequon Speech and Learning Connection/Milwaukee. Depending on the age of the client, the communication needs and schedule considerations, therapy sessions are usually between 30-60 minutes long, 1-2 times per week.

 

Q. How long should you wait before seeking professional help from a speech-language pathologist/occupational therapist?

 

A. You will not know for sure. However, one thing we do know is that early diagnosis and treatment for speech and language/fine motor/feeding problems increases the chances of improvement. Treating difficulties early on can prevent potential problems with behavior, learning, reading, social interaction, and overall academic performance.

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Q. How do I know if my infant or toddler needs a feeding evaluation or therapy?

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A. There are many signs and symptoms that may alert you to the need for therapy. Please see the signs and symptoms under our "Feeding" tab. 

 

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MOST IMPORTANTLY

Don’t rely on predictions to guess if a child will eventually ‘catch up’ in speech and language development. If parents or teachers are concerned about a child’s speech and language development, they should see a speech-language pathologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for a professional evaluation. The speech-language pathologist can administer receptive/expressive language and speech tests, analyze a child’s utterances in various situations, determine factors that may be slowing down language development, and counsel parents on the next steps to take.

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More Questions? Please feel free to contact Jennie Herklotz (speechva@yahoo.com) directly.