What does this mean?

A child or teen may have difficulty being understood by others because of how they say their sounds, words, or sentences.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

New functional speech concerns due to diagnosed or undiagnosed speech delays and disorders, including: articulation, phonology, functional concerns of unknown etiology, motor/neurological (e.g. dysarthria, childhood apraxia of speech, brain injury), structural (e.g. cleft palate, orofacial anomalies), sensory perceptual (i.e. hearing impairment).

What does this mean?

A child or teen’s voice may sound harsh, hoarse, or too high or low pitch. It may seem like they are 'talking through their nose.'

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Voice and resonance; voice disorder; hypernasality; hyponasality.

What does this mean?

A child or teen may have difficulty talking or being understood due to stuttering.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Fluency, dysfluency, stuttering or cluttering.

What does this mean?

Children and teens may need specialized strategies or equipment such as speech generating devices to communicate. Customization of technology and equipment will likely be needed for them to access and use the communication system, along with a multidisciplinary health team. AHS may provide an AAC episode of care for children and teens, transitioning care to primary care providers.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for children with complex needs; complex needs consider medical needs, service needs and child and family needs; using 'AAC'; requiring multidisciplinary health team, specialty technology or customized equipment.

What does this mean?

Services may be available when a child or teen has difficulty doing daily activities such as dressing, toileting, or doing chores and when new functional need occurs because of injury, surgery, illness, and/or a newly identified, or change to medical, neurodevelopmental, or developmental conditions or delays.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Occupational participation in self-care, productivity and leisure.

What does this mean?

A child or teen may have difficulty feeding, eating, or swallowing foods and liquids. They may avoid having foods or liquids in their mouths, have a limited diet, and may cough, gag, or have difficulty gaining weight.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Eating, feeding and swallowing; needs related to efficient and safe oral consumption; often referred to as 'dysphagia'.

What does this mean?

Services may be available when a child or teen has a new functional need because of injury, surgery, illness, and/or a newly identified, or change to, medical, neurodevelopmental or developmental conditions/delays.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Functional mobility, movement, and motor skills.

What does this mean?

Children and teens who may not be responding to sounds, voices or words, or developing speech and language as expected can have their hearing screened to find out if there are any problems with their hearing.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Hearing screening; screening when there is a hearing concern or a need to rule out hearing loss as part of a differential diagnosis; point of entry to Audiology services.

What does this mean?

Different methods are used to assess a child’s hearing. The balance or vestibular system can also be assessed. Follow up for children at risk for hearing loss and for those with permanent hearing loss and using cochlear implant or bone conduction hearing devices is offered.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Audiological assessment and management; hearing health, hearing loss; tinnitus, balance and/or dizziness; includes standard assessments, Diagnostic Pediatric Auditory Brainstem Response, Auditory Evoked Potentials; Vestibular.

What does this mean?

A change in a child or teen’s function or how they manage day to day after an injury, surgery, or medical intervention.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Acute change in function or new functional needs resulting from surgery, medical intervention or injury.

What does this mean?

Using splints or casts to help improve a child or teen’s range of motion, strength, muscle tone, or reduce pain to support participation; help improve a child or teen’s function when they have had a big or really obvious change in how they move their body; related to medical, neurodevelopmental, or developmental condition, including newly identified health conditions.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

Splinting, orthosis, serial casting; new functional need because of injury, surgery, illness, and/or a newly identified, or change to, medical or neurodevelopmental condition or delay.

What does this mean?

Using assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walking aides or adaptive equipment to support a child’s ability to move about and participate in activities.

Words that your doctor or therapist may use

New functional needs related to underlying medical or neurodevelopmental condition, requiring therapeutic equipment. Equipment related to wheelchair, seating, positioning equipment may include wheelchairs and cushions, standing frames, mobile standers, walkers, gait trainers, feeder seats and others.