Speech

The ability to communicate represents much more than the ability to express and understand words. It is also our feelings of self-esteem, relatedness to others, and a purpose and meaning in life. As such, communication is an integral part of the quality of life and individual lives. Conversely then, the communicatively impaired individual experiences much more than a breakdown in his ability to understand and/or express words. He simultaneously experiences a breakdown in the quality of his life.

Talk to Community Speech

Since 1969, thousands of people have trusted Community Speech and Hearing Center to help them overcome their speech and hearing disorders. Our clients depend on us to deliver the most effective treatment possible. Our higly trained and licensed staff, together with our full spectrum of support services, ensures that their needs are met. 

Our center is recognized, and referred to, by doctors throughout the Los Angeles area, as providing excellent speech therapy to all individuals and particularly to children diagnosed with autism.

Speech Therapy Services

Speech therapy is offered to children and adults with speech and language problems related to a number of diagnoses including apraxia, autism, voice disorders, child-related eating issues, articulation, swallowing, language issues related to an accident or stroke, and other speech related problems. We evaluate and assess all age populations to determine the need for speech therapy and we provide an independent opinion when a dispute over services occurs with other agncies.

Early Intervention

Intervention is a dynamic process in which we continuously assess our clients' progress in relation to their established goals. Our ultimate goal is to provide strategies to the families for facilitating communication outside of the therapy setting. Our philosophy is that speech therapy should provide functional communication so our clients can get their needs and wants met. The earlier intervention begins, the better chances a child has to overcome his or her communication deficits.

Early Childhood Behavior Programs

Behavior and good attending skills are a prerequisite for the ability to learn. We often begin treatment with emphasis on the child's ability to remain on task, sit independently, make consisten eye contact, and engage in imitation of the therapist's gross motor skills. The child interacts with the therapist, learning the appropriate behaviors necessary for maintaining attention prior to working on communication.

Social Skills Group 

Children with social-pragmatic delays are best served in a small, structured group settings of 2-3 children with 1-2 therapists. Our office provides social skills groups to target play and communication skills.

Adult Programs

Adults who have diminished communication abilities after experiencing CVA and individuals with decreased vocal quality are also served by our trained specialists. We work with individuals who suffer from aphasia, apraxia, dysarthria, vocal nodules, vocal cord paralysis and dysphonia. Speech therapy can be an important means of delaying early symptoms of memory loss. Increasing language and oral output by stimulating neural pathways facilitates recall of information. A speech therapist can provide strategies and exercises to help keep the communication pathways open.

Hospital Program

Our center is contracted with several hospitals in the San Fernando Valley providing in-hospital treatment and outpatient treatment. Our therapists are proficient in video swallow studies.

Your child would benefit from speech therapy if you observe any of the following:

• Child does not respond to his/her name
• Child does not use "yes" or "no" by age 2
• Child does not use 2 and 3 word phrases by age 2
• Child has auditory processing problems
• Child has difficulty accessing school curriculum
• Child has receptive and expressive language delays
• Speech is unintelligible
• Child is experiencing fluency problem (stuttering)
• Child has poor articulation
• Child does not answer questions by age 3