Assessment | Monitoring | Home Programming | Talking with Toddler | "Talking with Toddlers" Program | Communicating Kids

Assessment

An assessment of your child’s communication abilities will be completed by a Speech-Language Pathologist. Results and recommendations will be discussed with you at that time.

Monitoring

Children may be invited to return for a reassessment in a few months time to monitor their development. This may be appropriate for children with emerging communication abilities.

Home Programming

Home programming will be a part of all therapy recommended for your child. The type and amount of guidance will change as your child’s needs change.

“Talking with Toddlers – Everyday strategies to help your toddler communicate”

Families attend four group sessions and one individual therapy session where parents learn strategies to help their children use language. This program is for young children who are delayed in their language development. 

Communicating Kids

This group is a small family-focused group designed for parents of children who are delayed in their speech and language development and are ready to start combining words. Parents attend four weekly sessions with their child.

J.K. Groups

This group is for children in Junior Kindergarten. Children will learn and practice correct sound production and language skills in a small group with other children for four weekly sessions.   

"Joining In” – A Social Language Group

Groups of four families attend seven weekly sessions where parents and children learn strategies to facilitate social language development.

“It’s My Turn”

Families attend five weekly individual therapy sessions where they learn strategies to facilitate their child’s social and communicative development.

Monthly Therapy

Children and their families attend two monthly therapy sessions and home programming is provided.

Weekly Therapy – Individual or group

Children and their families attend weekly therapy sessions at one of the partner agencies (Children’s Centre Thunder Bay, George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, St. Joseph’s Care Group, and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit) for at least one 7-10 week block. At the end of the block, home programming will be provided to allow parents to continue working with their child.

“Word Play” – Emergent Literacy Program

Children attend seven group sessions where they participate in activities to enhance their emergent literacy skills. This program is for J.K.-aged children who may be at an increased risk of reading struggles due to their speech or language difficulties.

Community Education

One of the primary goals of Preschool Communication Services is to educate the public about normal speech and language development and warning signs of potential problems. A Speech-Language Pathologist is available to consult about preschool speech and language development with interested groups, including Early Childhood Education students and staff, or parent programs. To arrange for someone to speak with your group, please call the Thunder Bay District Health Unit at 625-5936.

Preschool Communication Services continues to develop new programs based on the needs of our clients.