Speech and Language
The teaching of listening and speech articulation skills never
stops at St. Joseph Institute. Speech Language Pathologists and Certified
Educators of the Deaf help children and adults utilize speech and audition
skills to communicate better. Adults with cochlear implants typically receive
speech therapy to teach them how to make sense of the sounds they hear
and apply meaning (language) to those sounds.
Early speech training emphasizes the development of a phonetic
repertoire and meaningful use of speech in conversation. Motor drills
and phonological practice help the children and adults improve their pitch, intonation and duration of speech. In the preschool to eighth grade day school, each child receives 30 minutes of speech, language, and audition therapy daily. The sensory focus
of the program is audition - the fundamental reference for speech.
Following each child's individualized plan or the treatment plan
of an adult for speech therapy, therapists help develop the use of residual hearing and gradually enhance the auditory feedback loop, thereby enhancing the production of correct speech by listening and matching their own speech to what they hear. Adults typically receive one hour of speech therapy once or twice a week, to help
improve listening and speech production skills.
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