You're handed a referral for a speech-language pathologist. Your pediatrician says your child needs one. The school mentions it in passing. A specialist writes it on a form. Nobody explains what happens next, what the SLP will do, or whether this is the right kind of help for your child. Most families assume speech therapy means fixing how a child says words. That's part of it. But speech-language pathologists work on a far broader range of skills than pronunciation. They evaluate and treat language comprehension, social communication, feeding and swallowing, voice disorders, stuttering, and alternative communication systems for children who don't use speech at all. Understanding that scope helps you find a provider whose experience matches your child's actual needs. What Speech-Language Pathologists Treat. SLPs are licensed clinicians trained to assess and treat communication and swallowing disorders. The scope includes: Speech sound production. This is what most people think of when they hear "speech therapy." Articulation disorders (difficulty producing specific sounds like /r/ or /s/), phonological disorders (patterns of sound errors), and childhood apraxia of speech (motor planning difficulty that affects speech sequencing) all fall here. Language. Receptive language is understanding what others say. Expressive language is using words to communicate ideas. A child who struggles to follow multi-step directions, doesn't understand question forms, or can't organize their thoughts into sentences may have a language disorder even if their pronunciation is perfect. Social communication (pragmatics). This includes turn-taking in conversation, reading social cues, staying on topic, understanding...

SLPs treat far more than pronunciation. This guide covers what they evaluate, what conditions they treat, and how to find the right fit.

What Speech-Language Pathologists Actually Do: A Guide for Special Needs Families

You're handed a referral for a speech-language pathologist. Your pediatrician says your child needs one. The school mentions it in passing. A specialist writes it on a form. Nobody explains what happens next, what the SLP will do, or whether this is the right kind of help for your child. Most families assume speech therapy means fixing how a child says words. That's part of it. But speech-language pathologists work on a far broader range of skills than pronunciation. They evaluate and treat language comprehension, social communication, feeding and swallowing, voice disorders, stuttering, and alternative communication systems for children who don't use speech at all. Understanding that scope helps you find a provider whose experience matches your child's actual needs. What Speech-Language Pathologists Treat. SLPs are licensed clinicians trained to assess and treat communication and swallowing disorders. The scope includes:  Speech sound production. This is what most people think of when they hear "speech therapy." Articulation disorders (difficulty producing specific sounds like /r/ or /s/), phonological disorders (patterns of sound errors), and childhood apraxia of speech (motor planning difficulty that affects speech sequencing) all fall here.  Language. Receptive language is understanding what others say. Expressive language is using words to communicate ideas. A child who struggles to follow multi-step directions, doesn't understand question forms, or can't organize their thoughts into sentences may have a language disorder even if their pronunciation is perfect.  Social communication (pragmatics). This includes turn-taking in conversation, reading social cues, staying on topic, understanding...

Your child has an ADHD diagnosis. You've started treatment. But something still doesn't add up. Medication helps with focus during homework, but they still avoid reading. Behavioral strategies reduce impulsivity, but anxiety about school keeps building. The pieces don't quite fit. That confusion is often the first signal that ADHD isn't the whole story. Up to 80% of children with ADHD have at least one co-occurring condition, according to data from CHADD. The most common overlaps are anxiety disorders, affecting 30–50% of children with ADHD, and learning disabilities like dyslexia or dyscalculia, affecting 30–45%. Oppositional defiant disorder, depression, sleep disorders, and autism spectrum conditions also appear frequently alongside ADHD. These aren't separate, unrelated diagnoses that happen to show up together. Many share underlying neurological pathways. ADHD and dyslexia both involve phonological processing and working memory. Anxiety and ADHD share overlapping symptoms like restlessness and difficulty concentrating. Understanding how these conditions interact changes what you ask for in evaluation and what you prioritize in treatment. Why These Conditions Overlap. ADHD doesn't cause dyslexia or anxiety, but the neurological systems they affect intersect. Phonological processing deficits appear in both ADHD and dyslexia. Executive function challenges that define ADHD also make it harder to manage the cognitive load of anxiety. Sleep disruption, common in ADHD, worsens both attention and emotional regulation. The other direction matters too. Chronic frustration from untreated ADHD can lead to secondary anxiety. A child who repeatedly fails at reading because of undiagnosed dyslexia may develop task avoidance that looks...

Most children with ADHD have at least one other condition. Here's how to recognize when multiple diagnoses are present.

When ADHD Isn't Alone: Understanding Co-Occurring Anxiety, Dyslexia, and Learning Differences

Your child has an ADHD diagnosis. You've started treatment. But something still doesn't add up. Medication helps with focus during homework, but they still avoid reading. Behavioral strategies reduce impulsivity, but anxiety about school keeps building. The pieces don't quite fit. That confusion is often the first signal that ADHD isn't the whole story. Up to 80% of children with ADHD have at least one co-occurring condition, according to data from CHADD. The most common overlaps are anxiety disorders, affecting 30–50% of children with ADHD, and learning disabilities like dyslexia or dyscalculia, affecting 30–45%. Oppositional defiant disorder, depression, sleep disorders, and autism spectrum conditions also appear frequently alongside ADHD. These aren't separate, unrelated diagnoses that happen to show up together. Many share underlying neurological pathways. ADHD and dyslexia both involve phonological processing and working memory. Anxiety and ADHD share overlapping symptoms like restlessness and difficulty concentrating. Understanding how these conditions interact changes what you ask for in evaluation and what you prioritize in treatment. Why These Conditions Overlap. ADHD doesn't cause dyslexia or anxiety, but the neurological systems they affect intersect. Phonological processing deficits appear in both ADHD and dyslexia. Executive function challenges that define ADHD also make it harder to manage the cognitive load of anxiety. Sleep disruption, common in ADHD, worsens both attention and emotional regulation. The other direction matters too. Chronic frustration from untreated ADHD can lead to secondary anxiety. A child who repeatedly fails at reading because of undiagnosed dyslexia may develop task avoidance that looks...

Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. Those with dyslexia typically read at lower levels that expected, despite normal intelligence. Common characteristics of those with dyslexia are difficulties with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds) and or rapid visual-verbal responding. That being said, you as a parent typically know when your child struggles with reading. They don't like to read. Reading may be labored. Your kids may take too long to do their assignments. So, what can you do as a parent that will make a difference? Is there something you can do? 4 Steps to Improve Reading Skills . Reading drills to improve reading fluency in 5 minutes a day. Improve spelling and learn the 8 different spelling patterns we use to make words. Improve reading comprehension by playing a reading comprehension game. Improve writing skills using specially designed graphic organizers. Today I'm writing about the first activity...reading fluency. Reading Fluency Training M. S. Meyer and R. H. Felton (1999) defined fluency as "the ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly, and automatically with little conscious attention to the mechanics of reading, such as decoding". Dr. Sally Shawitz states that reading fluency training is one of the most important things parents can do to help their children improve their reading skills. The best part of this is that reading fluency training is one of the easiest activities for...

Use reading drills, spelling patterns, comprehension games, and writing tools to improve dyslexic children's reading skills.

4 Tips To Improve Reading Skills Even If You Have Dyslexia (Part 1)

Dyslexia is a brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. Those with dyslexia typically read at lower levels that expected, despite normal intelligence. Common characteristics of those with dyslexia are difficulties with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds) and or rapid visual-verbal responding. That being said, you as a parent typically know when your child struggles with reading. They don't like to read. Reading may be labored. Your kids may take too long to do their assignments. So, what can you do as a parent that will make a difference? Is there something you can do? 4 Steps to Improve Reading Skills .  Reading drills to improve reading fluency in 5 minutes a day. Improve spelling and learn the 8 different spelling patterns we use to make words. Improve reading comprehension by playing a reading comprehension game. Improve writing skills using specially designed graphic organizers.  Today I'm writing about the first activity...reading fluency.  Reading Fluency Training         M. S. Meyer and R. H. Felton (1999) defined fluency as "the ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly, and automatically with little conscious attention to the mechanics of reading, such as decoding". Dr. Sally Shawitz states that reading fluency training is one of the most important things parents can do to help their children improve their reading skills. The best part of this is that reading fluency training is one of the easiest activities for...

The word dyslexia was coined in 1895 but didn't come into common usage until the 1960s. The word comes from the Greek roots dys, meaning "abnormal" or "difficult," and lexis, meaning "word" or "speech." At its most basic level, dyslexia literally translates to "difficulty with words." Dyslexia is usually considered a reading and / or language-processing problem, and at one time in history, it was a synonym for word blindness or the inability to recognize words. Dyslexia is the most common of the conditions named under the broad category of "learning disabilities" or "learning differences," and involves neurological and structural issues related to brain and body development. Other factors — such as allergies, nutrition issues, or heavy metal toxicity — must be addressed because they play a critical role in the ability of your child to learn and act appropriately. These complicating factors can cause mood swings, aggression, lack of focus and attention, and imbalances in brain chemistry. According to the National Institute of Health, dyslexia is "one of several distinct learning disabilities. It is a specific language-based disorder of constitutional origin characterized by difficulties in single word decoding, usually reflecting insufficient phonological processing abilities...Dyslexia is manifested by variable difficulty with different forms of language, often including, in addition to problems in reading, a conspicuous problem with acquiring proficiency in writing and spelling." Dyslexia is very common. It may affect up to 15% of American students, and half of American...

Dyslexia, a common learning disability, involves difficulty with words and can impact reading, writing, and spelling, but is not permanent.

What Exactly IS Dyslexia?

 The word dyslexia was coined in 1895 but didn't come into common usage until the 1960s. The word comes from the Greek roots dys, meaning "abnormal" or "difficult," and lexis, meaning "word" or "speech." At its most basic level, dyslexia literally translates to "difficulty with words."   Dyslexia is usually considered a reading and / or language-processing problem, and at one time in history, it was a synonym for word blindness or the inability to recognize words. Dyslexia is the most common of the conditions named under the broad category of "learning disabilities" or "learning differences," and involves neurological and structural issues related to brain and body development.    Other factors — such as allergies, nutrition issues, or heavy metal toxicity — must be addressed because they play a critical role in the ability of your child to learn and act appropriately. These complicating factors can cause mood swings, aggression, lack of focus and attention, and imbalances in brain chemistry.   According to the National Institute of Health, dyslexia is "one of several distinct learning disabilities. It is a specific language-based disorder of constitutional origin characterized by difficulties in single word decoding, usually reflecting insufficient phonological processing abilities...Dyslexia is manifested by variable difficulty with different forms of language, often including, in addition to problems in reading, a conspicuous problem with acquiring proficiency in writing and spelling."   Dyslexia is very common. It may affect up to 15% of American students, and half of American...

Dyslexia is typically diagnosed in children when they are around second or third grade in school. A team from Children's Hospital Boston reports that they have discovered signs of dyslexia in children as young as 4 or 5 years old by studying their brain scans. This could be monumental news for families, who “often know that their child has dyslexia as early as kindergarten but they can't get interventions at their schools,” says Nadine Gaab of the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Children's. Early intervention would be ideal in cases of dyslexia. Rather than waiting for a child to exhibit reading delays, a diagnosis before the child even begins to learn to read could boost confidence and help them avoid the label of being a “poor student.” As Gaab said in an interview with Reuters, “Often, by the time they get a diagnosis, [children] usually have experienced three years of peers telling them they are stupid, parents telling them they are lazy. We know they have reduced self esteem. They are really struggling.” In the Children's Hospital study, a group of 36 preschoolers had their brains scanned by Gaab and her colleagues while they did a variety of tasks that deal with phonological processing. Phonological processing is the ability to recognize and manipulate the individual sounds that form language. Children with dyslexia have trouble with mapping sounds of spoken language onto letters that make up words. According to Gaab, the study shows that children who had a family history of...

Research at Children's Hospital Boston can detect dyslexia in kids as young as 4 via brain scans, aiding early intervention.

Brain Scans Detect Early Signs of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is typically diagnosed in children when they are around second or third grade in school. A team from Children's Hospital Boston reports that they have discovered signs of dyslexia in children as young as 4 or 5 years old by studying their brain scans. This could be monumental news for families, who “often know that their child has dyslexia as early as kindergarten but they can't get interventions at their schools,” says Nadine Gaab of the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Children's. Early intervention would be ideal in cases of dyslexia. Rather than waiting for a child to exhibit reading delays, a diagnosis before the child even begins to learn to read could boost confidence and help them avoid the label of being a “poor student.” As Gaab said in an interview with Reuters, “Often, by the time they get a diagnosis, [children] usually have experienced three years of peers telling them they are stupid, parents telling them they are lazy. We know they have reduced self esteem. They are really struggling.” In the Children's Hospital study, a group of 36 preschoolers had their brains scanned by Gaab and her colleagues while they did a variety of tasks that deal with phonological processing. Phonological processing is the ability to recognize and manipulate the individual sounds that form language. Children with dyslexia have trouble with mapping sounds of spoken language onto letters that make up words. According to Gaab, the study shows that children who had a family history of...

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Special Needs
Articles

What Speech-Language Pathologists Actually Do: A Guide for Special Needs Families

When ADHD Isn't Alone: Understanding Co-Occurring Anxiety, Dyslexia, and Learning Differences

4 Tips To Improve Reading Skills Even If You Have Dyslexia (Part 1)

What Exactly IS Dyslexia?

Brain Scans Detect Early Signs of Dyslexia

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

What Speech-Language Pathologists Actually Do: A Guide for Special Needs Families

When ADHD Isn't Alone: Understanding Co-Occurring Anxiety, Dyslexia, and Learning Differences

4 Tips To Improve Reading Skills Even If You Have Dyslexia (Part 1)

What Exactly IS Dyslexia?

Brain Scans Detect Early Signs of Dyslexia

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles