The service is offered to both adults and preschoolers with speech and language disorders, 5 days a week at Renfrew Victoria Hospital.

Type of Service

• evaluation, treatment and follow-up for the individuals with speech and language difficulties
• appropriate referrals for those who require specialized services
• education of parents, family members, preschool educators, health professionals and other community members

Eligibility

• adults with speech or language disorders
• children from birth to age 5 years (under 6 years)
• referrals accepted from physicians, other speech and language pathologists and other community professionals

Staff

Service is provided by a qualified speech and language pathologist who is registered with the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (OSLA).

Speech Language Disorders

Children's Lanuage Disorders

• difficulty in following directions
• failure to understand the meaning of words
• limited vocabulary
• grammatical errors
• late talking

Adult Language Disorders

• poor pronunciation of speech sounds
• individual not easily understood by others
• reduced oral muscular control
• Stuttering
• frequent repetition of sounds and words
• gets stuck on words and sounds
• facial grimances or body movements may accompany stuttering

Voice Disorders

• persistent hoarseness, harshness or loss of voice
• a voice that is too high, too low, too loud, too weak or too nasal

Contributing Factors

• ear infections
• hearing loss
• learning difficulties
• inadequate speech and language models
• behavioral problems
• emotional problems
• cerebral palsy
• cleft lip and palate
• dental abnormalities
• mental retardation
• head injuries
• stroke
• neurological diseases i.e. Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease or Multiple Sclerosis
• inappropriate use of the voice
• diseases of vocal cords
• smoking and alcohol abuse
• Signs of Disorders

Adults

• a person's speech or language is markedly different from that of others of the same age, sex, or ethnic group
• a person's speech or language is difficult to understand
• a person is overly concerned about his/her own speech
• a person frequently avoids communicating with others

Preschoolers

• a child is not talking at all by age of 2
• a child's speech is largely unintelligible after age of 3
• a child is still not using two and three word sentences by age of 3
• a child is leaving off many beginning or final consonants after age 3
• sounds are more than a year late developing in speech
• sentence structure is noticeably faulty at the age of 5
• a child is self-conscious about his/her speech
• a child avoids communicating with others

Why do Something About It?

The ability to communicate is essential to learning, working and social interactions. Speech and Language disorders:

• significantly interfere with education and limit or eliminate employment
• isolate a person from family, friends and society
• impact upon the whole development of the child
• can be a symptom of more serious disorders
• may not resolve without professional help

For help, call or write:
Speech and Langue Services, Renfrew Victoria Hospital, 499 Ragan Street, North, Renfrew, Ontario. K7V 1P6.

Telephone: 613-432-4851 ext. 186 or Fax 613-432-8649