Pediatric Speech & Language Therapy
RISE Pediatric Therapies (RPT) offers free speech and language screenings for children from ages 1-7. We also provide speech and language therapy across the lifespan from toddlerhood through young adulthood at our Boise location. Set your mind at ease and find out for certain if your child needs additional support by contacting us. For more information, see our How To Get Started page. With locations in Nampa and Boise, we serve the surrounding areas of Southwest Idaho.
Developmental Delays?
Speech therapy for kids helps children overcome gaps in their development. We identify any delays in social, language, and communication skills and design a habilitative program to target them. Children enjoy our engaging, play-based therapy that feels more like fun than work. For your convenience, we are in network with several insurance providers and also accept private pay.
Skills We Teach
Our pediatric speech-language pathologists work to help your child in the following areas:
Articulation
If your child does not produce age-appropriate speech sounds correctly, we will work on their articulation and/or phonological development.
Language Therapy
During this therapy, we focus on expressive and receptive language skills, often emphasizing building vocabulary, answering questions, following directions, comprehending stories and conversations, and verbal speech.
Fluency
The rhythm of your speech determines its fluency. For example, stuttering is a repetition of sounds like b-b-b-boy. Stuttering can also cause a person to say “um” or “uh” or pause frequently during conversation.
Augmentative & Alternative Communication
AAC means all the ways a person communicates in addition to verbal speech. Children (and adults) who struggle with speaking may use AAC methods in addition to or instead of verbal speech throughout their lives or just for a short time. AAC includes both no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech options. Writing, drawing, sign language, and gesturing include low- and no-tech options, while high-tech options include using a tablet or a speech-generating device. A speech-language pathologist can help choose an appropriate AAC strategy to support your child.
Consider Hearing and Communication Milestones First Before Assuming Your Child Has a Speech Delay
It’s important to remember children develop on their own timeline. Your child could appear to have a disorder but may not have matured enough to meet the milestone. When reviewing our communication milestones chart, please keep the following points in mind:
- This chart refers to children who speak only one language. The milestones will be different for multilingual children.
- By the time your child is at the top of the age range, they should be close to reaching the listed milestones.
- Your child does not necessarily have a speech or language delay if they have missed one skill in the age range.
Please speak with your pediatrician or call us if you have any concerns about your child not meeting milestones.
Prior to initiating pediatric SLP therapy, it is recommended that your child’s hearing be evaluated, as hearing loss from frequent ear infections or fluid in the ears can contribute to speech and language delays.
RISE Pediatric Therapies is happy to connect with local audiologists for an evaluation if you have further questions or concerns about your child’s hearing.
Pediatric Feeding Therapy
If your child is not meeting age-appropriate feeding milestones, our pediatric feeding specialist can complete an evaluation to check for any delays or disorders.
- Our specialist will evaluate your child’s ability to consume both liquids and solids while assessing your child’s oral structure and oral motor skills.
- We will make sure your child is safe for oral eating by evaluating feeding position, behavior, and oral movements.
- One of our speech-language pathologists (SLP) can support your child in safe oral trials to develop alternative methods of eating and develop a positive relationship with eating.
Common Speech & Language Disorders
A child can have difficulties with speech skills, language skills, or both. At RISE Pediatric Therapies, our pediatric speech therapy clinic offers professional, compassionate therapy services for many disorders.
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Expressive language disorder. Expressive disorders occur when a child struggles to share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
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Receptive language disorder. “When a child has trouble understanding what others say or write, this is called a receptive language delay or disorder. Some children may have both receptive and expressive language delays, meaning they struggle both to understand and to express themselves”
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Social communication disorder. Children who exhibit difficulties in using verbal and nonverbal language in social situations may have this disorder. They may have poor social interaction, social understanding, language processing, pragmatics, or any combination of these. These children may find it difficult to make friends and have appropriate peer communication.
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Auditory processing disorder. Children may have problems listening and other related issues. For example, in noisy settings, children may have difficulty understanding speech and following directions. They may repeatedly ask for repetition or clarification of what was said. Academic subjects such as spelling, reading, and verbal comprehension may be difficult for them.
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Stuttering. Stuttering is an interruption in the flow of speech characterized by repetitions (sounds, syllables, words, phrases), sound prolongations, blocks, interjections, and revisions. It is important to note that stuttering is normal and developmentally appropriate in children up until the age of 6. Stuttering is more than just disfluencies. Stuttering also may include tension and negative feelings about talking. Stuttering can change from day to day. Children may have times when they are fluent and times when they stutter more. Stress or excitement can lead to more stuttering.
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Childhood apraxia of speech. In this disorder, a child finds it difficult to control the movement of their lips, tongue, and jaw to make the correct speech sounds. It is sometimes explained as a “brain-to-mouth” error in communication.
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Phonological disorders. Children with this disorder find it difficult to organize sounds into words. They may leave out certain sounds from the beginning or end of a word or substitute one sound for another.
At RISE Pediatric Therapies we offer effective, compassionate therapy for speech and language delays and disorders. Our services include the following:
Interested in our speech therapy services for kids?
Additional Services
In addition to speech therapy for kids, we offer other services:
Why Choose Us
Habilitative life services that teach functional skills
Exceptional caregiver and parent support
Play-based therapy environment where children love to learn
Family care across the lifespan from toddlerhood through young adulthood
Personalized programs designed and led by skilled therapists
Local Language Therapy Services
At RISE Pediatric Therapies, we understand you care deeply for your child’s well-being—and we’re here to help and support you in your journey. For more information about our speech and language therapy services, contact us. With locations in Nampa and Boise, Idaho, we serve the surrounding areas including Kuna, Meridian, Middleton, and Caldwell.