Down Syndrome
Children's Service Areas
Children with Down Syndrome (DS) often experience delays in speech and language development. Their speech development actually follows typically developing children’s pattern, just at a slower rate. The babbling stage of speech development often starts at the expected age range for children with DS, but this stage lasts longer (up to 2 years of age). Transitioning from babbling to acquiring the sound system of their language is often delayed. Consequently, a common area of concern in children with DS is their articulation/phonology or motor speech patterns. This often results in their speech being difficult to understand.
Children with DS often have low tone and this affects oral motor movements as well. In some cases, therapy may focus on oral motor strength and coordination in addition to speech development. Phonetic placement and tactile cues (e.g., PROMPT and Phoneme Touch and Say) are very effective therapy techniques for children with DS.
At Speech Pathways, we realize that every child is unique regardless of their diagnosis. We assess your child and determine a treatment plan that capitalizes on their strengths and targets their areas of weakness to maximize their communication potential.
