Speech therapy helps children find their voice and improve communication and understanding of language. At HHH Pediatric Therapy, we recruit the most highly qualified Speech-Language Pathologists to our team. Each therapist is licensed by the State of Minnesota and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

We provide speech and language therapy for children from birth to eighteen years of age. Our Speech-Language Pathologists address articulation, phonology, expressive and receptive language, fluency, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and social pragmatics. 

Our speech therapists use therapeutic play-based activities to help children make progress and reach developmental goals. In order to make therapy sessions fun and effective, we listen to who your child is, what their interests are, and what they enjoy doing to develop treatment plans and therapy goals. We want to give children the tools to communicate and play more effectively with all people across different environments. 

Your Child May Benefit From Speech and Language Services if They:

  • Demonstrate a decreased ability to communicate
  • Are not using gestures (waving, pointing, etc.)
  • Exhibit limited vocabulary for their age:
    • By twelve months a child says two to six words other than “Mama” or “Dada”.
    • By fifteen months a child says ten different words.
    • At eighteen months toddlers with typically developing language use fifty different words.
    • At twenty-four months a child with typically developing language says two hundred to three hundred words.
    • By thirty months a toddler says four hundred fifty words.
    • At thirty-six months a child with typically developing language uses one thousand different words.
      **LinguiSystems Guide to Communication Milestones cites sources as Child Development Institute at www.childdevelopmentinfo.com. Nicolosi, Harryman, Kresheck (2006). Owens (1996).
  • Show poor articulation or are difficult to understand
  • Are stuttering or exhibit other fluency difficulties
  • Demonstrate difficulty understanding what is said to them
  • Demonstrate difficulty following directions
  • Demonstrate difficulty answering or asking questions
  • Exhibit immature sentence structure
  • Frequently use nonspecific words
  • Display poor social skills
  • Have difficulty producing these sounds by the following ages:
    • Two to three years – p,b,m,d,t,k.g, w, ng, f, y
    • Four years – l, j, ch. s, v, sh, z
    • Five years – r, zh
    • Six years – th

Pediatric Speech Therapy Evaluations

We provide comprehensive evaluations in the areas of speech and language development for children of all ages. Evaluations are performed by our team of Speech-Language Pathologists.  We utilize a variety of standardized tests, informal assessment tools, parent input, and clinical judgment to assess a child’s ability in all areas of speech and language development.

A comprehensive speech and language evaluation will look at the following:

  • Receptive language – how well your child understands language
  • Expressive language – how well your child uses language 
  • Articulation – how well your child produces speech sounds
    • Oral motor skills
    • motor speech sounds 
    • phonological processes

If additional areas of concern are identified, our Speech-Language Pathologists may also look at a child’s voice (pitch, rate, and loudness), and fluency (stuttering).

Upon completion of the evaluation, our therapists will discuss the results and make individualized recommendations for your child. We will then provide you with an evaluation report and treatment plan with appropriate next steps.  

Augmentative Alternative Communication Skills

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices and tools help children communicate when they are unable to effectively do so on their own. At HHH Pediatric Therapy, we believe that children should have access to any tools that will increase their ability to communicate their wants and needs. There are many different types of communication devices ranging from low-tech core boards and picture exchange cards (PECs) to hi-tech Speech Generating Devices (SGDs).  

If your child has limited verbal production or is non-speaking and you think he/she could benefit from an evaluation for Augmentative and Alternative Communication tools, contact us today at 612-230-0308.

Already have a device or communication system and need help? Contact us! We are happy to provide training for families and ongoing therapy services for your child to learn how to use their communication system.