Mountainside Speech Therapy, LLC

October 18 is DLD Awareness Day. Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is more prevalent than Autism, but often undiagnosed, or miscategorized as laziness or a lack of focus.

Spread the word. Many kids struggle silently due to this often undiagnosed condition. It can affect their learning, comprehension, and everyday communication.

Let's talk DYSLEXIA! Many people think it's seeing letters backwards... But it's NOT!

Dyslexia is a LANGUAGE-based reading/spelling disorder that is usually characterized by difficulties with phonological awareness and orthographic mapping (letters to sounds).

It can also be accompanied by other language/learning difficulties, e.g., difficulties with morphological awareness (think roots, prefixes, suffixes) or comprehension (vocabulary, sentence awareness, etc.).

These are all language skills that SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS work on with children.

According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (the licensing and credentialing board for SLPs), diagnosing dyslexia is within the scope of practice of a Speech-Language Pathologist (because it is a language-based disorder that affects the processing of sounds and symbols). However, a diagnosis alone won't solve the problem. You'll need evidence-based reading/spelling interventions.

Schools don't diagnose dyslexia in the IEP file because it's not one of the 13 classifications for special education eligibility, but there is one for Specific Learning Disability, which would include difficulties with reading, such as dyslexia.

To get an actual diagnosis of dyslexia, you would pay someone with credentials to write a code that describes your child's difficulties from the DSM-V or the ICD-10 diagnostic manuals. However, dyslexia is usually just included within the Specific Learning Disability categories. Or, without a diagnostic code, someone familiar with the symptoms who is licensed to give qualifying tests to determine the deficits may write a summary with the word dyslexia in the report.

Many people choose to go to a neuropsychologist for this and often pay thousands of dollars for their diagnosis, but they are still left with the need to support reading/spelling. At the end of the report, the neuropsychologist will often recommend a dyslexia-trained tutor. To many people, this means an Orton-Gillingham program (e.g., Wilson, Barton, etc.).

Parents and anyone interested can go get trained in the Orton-Gillingham methods, and then they offer to tutor kids diagnosed with dyslexia. But what and who are Orton-Gillingham? Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham were born in the 1800s. They are prominent figures in the history of helping those with reading disabilities. Since then, the science of reading has continually been evolving and added upon as new questions arise and answers come out through ongoing studies.

Currently, there are two opposing terms: 'speech-to-print' and 'print-to-speech.'

In a nutshell, speech-to-print means we use the oral language system as a foundation for written language (e.g., what sounds do you hear in this word; now look at the letters in this word; let's map them together and discuss their meaning). This is crucial for struggling readers with deficits in phonological awareness and orthographic mapping.

The previous and more traditional way of supporting reading has been deemed print-to-speech. This is what many kids are exposed to in school, and even the Orton-Gillingham methods are generally considered print-to-speech because they focus so heavily on analyzing and memorizing rules for the letters (e.g., note how this vowel letter here has a consonant after it; that makes it a closed syllable; closed syllables have a short vowel sound; so read all of these short vowel (cvc) words).

The problem with the print-to-speech method is that kids are not adequately leveraging the oral language system for reading. It's like trying to walk before your feet are firmly planted on the ground. Some kids can make some growth with these older, previous, print-to-speech teaching styles, but sometimes it's just not enough. If they do learn to read, it may not be smooth/natural, and they often still struggle with spelling.

This is where the term speech-to-print is gaining traction. It uses spelling as a gateway to reading (i.e., sounds then letters), it works, and kids are progressing. It's based on the latest science of reading and spelling. There are many programs out there which are starting to use this speech-to-print method. I currently use the SPELL-Links program (which was made by speech-language pathologists), but there's no one program that cures all problems. You need to find someone who can treat the child individually because they know the development of speech, language, and reading/spelling well enough to troubleshot when difficulties arise and go back and fill in the gaps your child needs.

I would recommend getting thoroughly trained on speech-to-print approaches or hiring someone who is to give your child the best help with reading/spelling. I'm here to help if you have any questions or would like more info. I'm a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with a private practice in South Ogden, where I help students with reading and spelling. I also work for Weber School District and see the ins and outs of IEPs, school evaluations, and neuropsychological reports.

Remember, a diagnosis is only as good as the treatment that follows. Orton and Gillingham were born over a hundred years ago, and there have been new updates since then, namely the speech-to-print treatment strategies. Do your research, and your child can succeed!!

Mountainside Speech Therapy, LLC In-Home or Online | Speech, Language, and Dyslexia | Diagnosis and Treatment | Utah | Licensed SLP | Private Pay

The thing I like most about being a Speech-Language Pathologist is seeing clients progress. Today I saw a variety of clients - one for reading and spelling 📖, one for a lisp 👅, another for speech sound development 👄, and also a toddler for expanding vocabulary 👶. All different needs; all progressing!! Through consistent effort and application of evidence-based principles, these children are progressing in their communication and learning goals, as well as their confidence! ✅ This is why I do what I do! 💕 So uplifting and rewarding. 😁

Is your child on track for reading and writing?

Share and Get the full version here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14QYNCUjK7WYZNg7oxwnnSMa4LxwNX6fP/view?usp=sharing

Only 33% percent of fourth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level on the reading assessment in 2022. - National Achievement-Level Results

Mountainside Speech Therapy is committed to improving children's reading skills. Located in South Ogden and Online anywhere in Utah.

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Mountainside Speech Therapy, LLC was featured on this local business campaign!! :)

Speak. Read. Succeed.

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I took a selfie on the way to work. Why? Because I was about to visit a new client for the first time, and I wanted to document the moment. 🤷😁🥰

I seriously love what I do as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Helping children speak, read, and succeed is my passion and a highly rewarding career choice.

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Speech, Language, and Dyslexia.

Mountainside Speech Therapy, LLC In-Home or Online | Speech, Language, and Dyslexia | Diagnosis and Treatment | Utah | Licensed SLP | Private Pay

If you've ever wondered what it means when someone says they have a language or learning disability, watch this video for a good description. Can any of you parents relate?

Parent of a child with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) - DLDandMe.org Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a condition where children have problems understanding and/or using spoken language. For more information on DLD, v...

https://mountainsidespeech.com/2021/07/06/what-is-a-speech-language-pathologist-slp/

What is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)? - Mountainside Speech Therapy, LLC A Speech-Language Pathologist, or SLP for short, is a licensed allied health professional. SLPs are licensed by their state and often have a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). In order to receive their credentials, SLPs must have a....

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Evaluation and Treatment for Pediatric Speech and Language Disorders.

Children with speech and language disorders have difficulties communicating effectively with others and thriving in educational settings. A professional speech-language pathologist can help. My goal is to provide evaluation and treatment for the development of speech, language, and literacy skills so your child can be successful at school and in their daily interactions.

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With a passion for pediatric speech, language, and literacy development, Mountainside Speech Therapy promotes evidence-based practices for supporting children’s listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in both academic and private settings.

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Rachel Smith is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist in Utah with a B.S. in Communicative Disorders & Deaf Education from Utah State University (2013) and a M.S. in Clinical Speech-Language Pathology from Northern Arizona University (2020). Rachel has experience providing speech/language therapy to hundreds of children ages 5-18 years in elementary, junior, and high schools since 2016. With a passion for pediatric speech, language, and literacy development, Rachel promotes evidence-based practices for supporting children’s listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in both academic and private settings.

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