Developmental Delays and Disorders

At Arbor Psychology Group, we understand how important clear and effective communication is for your child’s development and confidence. Developmental delays and disorders can make it difficult for children to say words clearly and understand sound patterns within their language, impacting their ability to express themselves and be understood by others. Our dedicated team of pediatric speech therapists is here to provide expert support and personalized care for children facing these challenges.

Children with a variety of developmental disabilities can present with communication difficulties. These can include (but are not limited to):

• Autism
• Down Syndrome – This genetic disorder can affect speech and language development for a variety of reasons including low muscle tone, which can impact speech clarity, and cognitive delays, impacting receptive and expressive language development.
• Hearing loss – Children with hearing loss can be delayed in speech and language skills due to being unable to hear speech sounds clearly, or at all, resulting in them being unable to learn to produce speech.
• Cerebral Palsy – Children with CP often have a difficult time controlling the muscles needed to clearly produce speech.
• ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) – Children with ADHD might have difficulties in attention, impulse control, and hyperactivity, which can interfere with language learning and overall communication.
• Selective Mutism – This anxiety disorder causes a child to speak in certain situations (like at home) but remain silent in others (like at school). This can impact the development of normal speech and language skills.
• Premature Birth – Children born prematurely are at higher risk for developmental delays, including speech and language delays, due to potential complications associated with early birth and underdeveloped organs.
• Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) – Formerly known as Specific Language Impairment (SLI), DLD is characterized by difficulties in acquiring language skills despite normal cognitive function and no apparent cause. Children with DLD struggle with understanding and using language.

Arbor Psychology Group’s SLPs have experience with treating speech and language deficits in children with all of the above.