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Speech Therapy Services

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Our Caring Staff

Our highly-trained, caring speech-language pathologists all have experience in pediatrics.

Each therapist is certified from the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). All are state licensed and carry a teaching certificate.

Our therapists work with both verbal and nonverbal children who may require alternative modes of communication including sign language, symbol boards and electronic communication systems.

Benefits of Early Therapy

“The development of communication skills begins in infancy, before the emergence of the first word. Any speech or language problem is likely to have a significant effect on the child’s social and academic skills and behavior. The earlier a child’s speech and language problems are identified and treated, the less likely it is that problems will persists or get worse. Early speech and language intervention can help children be more successful with reading, writing, school work and interpersonal relationships.” – American Speech-Language Hearing Association

Developmental Milestones

The following are speech and language tasks that children typically accomplish by certain ages. If your child is having trouble reaching these milestones, contact your primary care physician to determine if a speech therapy evaluation is necessary.

Six months:

Makes many different sounds
Laughs, giggles, coos with familiar people
Turns and looks toward new sound
Babbles for attention

One year:

Understands “no”
Likes to makes sounds of familiar animals and things
Says 2-3 words besides “mama” and “dada”
Imitates familiar words
Understands simple instructions (i.e., “sit down” and “come here”)

Eighteen months:

Uses 10-20 words, including names
Combines two-word utterances
Points to his or her toes, eyes and nose
Brings on unfamiliar item from another room when asked for it
Knows and names five things
Waves “bye-bye”

Two years:

Identifies simple questions and commands
Asks “What’s this?” and “What’s that?”
Has about 300 words in speaking vocabulary
Makes sentences composed of 2-3 words

Outreach Services

Anne Carlsen Center (ACC) offers speech therapy services in Carrington and Valley City so that local families don’t have to travel to the Jamestown campus for evaluations and direct therapy.

ACC Speech/Language Pathologists in Carrington work with clients from birth to age 21 at the Carrington Health Center. Speech Language Pathologists in Valley City work with clients from birth to age 21 as part of home-based programs and agency based programs, such as Head Start. In addition to treating speech impairments, both satellite locations also provide therapy for young people with feeding and swallowing disorders.

If you think your child may need these services, contact the ACC Therapy Department at (800) 568-5175 ext. 142. A primary care physician referral for a speech therapy evaluation is necessary prior to receiving ACC services.

Professional Staff. Caring Environment.

In addition to caring for ACC residents, our professional staff of therapists, teachers, behavioral specialists and an assistive technology specialist provides customized outreach support to schools, families and children with disabilities. We work with support personnel in developing effective community-bases programs to ensure successful outcomes.

Outreach services include: