All children should have the chance to communicate effectively and confidently. For many reasons, this can be a struggle. Speech-language therapy benefits children who experience challenges with speech, language, and social-communication skills. Therapeutic support can significantly enhance your child's academic performance and overall increase their independence in communicating with others.

OUR APPROACH
We provide speech-language therapy on-site in Berlin, Germany (at our office, in school, or at home) or online for children located anywhere in the world. Our Speech-Language Therapists (SLPs) offer direct support to your child while collaborating with teachers and parents to ensure that improvements made in one area transfer to the next. SLPs work as part of the Linden Global Learning team of specialists (psychologists, academic coaches, learning specialists, and more) to ensure a breadth of resources for tailoring an optimal support program for children with diverse communication needs.
During individual speech-language therapy sessions, a student will engage in activities focused on meeting their individual goals. These activities enhance communication skills and incorporate a combination of evidence-based strategies and clinical expertise. Each session is tailored to the child's unique strengths and needs, promoting a sense of accomplishment while boosting confidence through achievable and meaningful tasks.

Speech-language therapy can support various areas, such as:

• Articulation and phonological disorders

• Receptive and expressive language delays and disorders

• Social communication (pragmatic language) skills

• Fluency disorders (stuttering, cluttering)

• Voice disorders

• Using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

• Feeding and swallowing challenges
   

COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOLS
Our SLPs are trained to assist teachers in implementing accommodations and supportive strategies at school through regular consultations and school visits, as needed. They play a crucial role in international schools by supporting multilingual students and those from diverse cultural backgrounds, ensuring inclusive and effective communication strategies.

SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY SESSIONS
Each hour of speech-language therapy includes a 45-minute session with the therapist and 15 minutes of consultation. This consultation time can be used for weekly correspondence, such as communicating with caregivers, teachers, and support staff. By working closely with educational staff, our therapists help integrate speech and language goals into the classroom setting, promoting better outcomes for students.

ABOUT SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY ASSESSMENTS
Understanding the Speech & Language Assessment Process
If your child’s school or doctor has recommended a speech and language assessment, it may indicate concerns about your child’s production or understanding of speech and language. We are here to help by providing a comprehensive assessment that outlines your child’s current skills, along with recommendations for helping them reach their full potential and thrive.

Looking at the Whole Child
Linden Global Learning evaluations emphasize viewing your child as a whole person. The assessment process encompasses much more than just test scores and statistics. It includes a thorough consideration of the student’s social, emotional, linguistic, cultural, family, and educational backgrounds, giving these factors equal importance to the test results. Work samples and school observations may also be included in the assessment process when appropriate. Standardized tests provide only specific pieces of the puzzle and offer a brief snapshot of a child’s abilities at a particular point in time.

Types of Assessment
We use a variety of tools and methods to assess a child’s skills and functioning. For each child, we tailor the evaluation tools to specifically address their age and individual referral questions and needs.

 

Our methods can evaluate:

• Receptive Language: How well the child understands language.

• Expressive Language: The child’s ability to express themselves verbally.

• Social Communication (Pragmatic Language):** How effectively the child uses language in social situations.

• Articulation & Phonology: How the child produces speech sounds using the articulators and their understanding of the rules and patterns of sounds in a particular language.

• Oral-Motor Functioning: The child’s ability to perform different movements with their lips, tongue, and jaw to produce speech.

• Swallowing/Feeding:** Typically assessed in very young children or infants to examine the physical components of eating and drinking.

Assessing Multilingual Children
Linden specialists are specifically trained and highly experienced in assessments with multilingual children. Instruments must be used with the utmost caution and awareness of the child’s linguistic background. Typically, a child should have been exposed to spoken English for at least 3-5 years before using standardized US or UK instruments. When appropriate and possible, we can assess skills in the home language or use nonverbal testing. We specialize in supporting international children with a wide range of language backgrounds and combinations.

Find out more about Speech and Language Therapy in international schools and download some speech and language learning tips in this blog

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