What Do Pediatric OTs Help With?
May 8, 2025
What Do Pediatric SLPs Help With?
What Do Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) Help With?
Pediatric Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) help support children in building strong communication skills. Here’s what SLPs commonly focus on:
1. Language Skills
Receptive Language – Understanding what others say (e.g., following directions, understanding stories)
Expressive Language – Using words, phrases, and sentences to express thoughts, needs, and ideas
Here are some of the Learnigo programs that our SLPs use to support language skills:
- Understanding Speech for receptive language skills
- Imitating Speech to support basic verbal skills (from vocalizations to simple sentences)
- Active Speech for expressive language skills (nouns, verbs, sequencing stories, etc.)
2. Speech Sounds (Articulation & Phonology)
Helping children pronounce sounds clearly (e.g., saying “cat” instead of “tat”) and use the right sound patterns.
Learnigo’s Articulation program supports articulation skills from early, medial, and later developing sounds from isolation to combined word levels. This program is great for SLPs who work with children targeting all phonemes at all levels.
Our family-friendly “Learnigo at Home: Articulation” features SLP-written tips on each activity so caregivers can support their child’s articulation skills at home. The program is divided into early, medial, and later developing sounds. We recommend working with your child’s SLP to get the most out of the program.
3. Social Communication (Pragmatics)
Teaching verbal and non-verbal skills that are important for carrying conversations, taking turns, making eye contact, understanding emotions, and using language in social settings.
Learnigo’s Speech in the Social Context program is great for younger and older children who benefit from support in the areas of social skills.
4. Early Literacy & Pre-Literacy Skills
Building foundations for reading and writing—like rhyming, identifying sounds in words, comprehending stories, sequencing events, and storytelling.
Our Active Speech program provides opportunities for practicing sequencing and storytelling.
If you’re looking to support reading comprehension, we have a program for that, too!
5. Assistive Communication
Supporting alternative communication skills using signs, pictures, or AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices.
We recommend our Understanding Speech or Active Speech programs that can be adapted to support alternative communication skills via touch screen or stylus.
6. Listening & Auditory Processing
Helping kids improve how they listen, focus, and make sense of what they hear
Our Understanding Speech Despite Distractors program is designed to help children with Central Auditory Processing disorder. Our Auditory Perception program provides hundreds of activities to target hearing loss.
7. Feeding & Swallowing
Supporting safe eating and drinking habits—especially for young children with oral motor or sensory challenges
Consider reaching out to an Speech-Language Pathologists if your child:
- Is not meeting communication milestones (e.g., not using words by 18 months)
- Has trouble being understood by others after age 3
- Struggles to follow directions or answer simple questions
- Uses very few words or gestures to communicate
- Has difficulty with social interaction or play
- Shows signs of frustration when trying to communicate
- Is a picky eater or has trouble chewing or swallowing
- Has a diagnosis that may affect communication (e.g., autism, hearing loss, developmental delay)
Early intervention makes a big difference. Trust your instincts—if you’re concerned, it’s always appropriate to ask for an evaluation.
How Can Families Support Progress at Home?
- Use daily routines to model and practice skills
- Provide a model vs correcting
- E.g., if the child says “he gived it to me,” respond with, “I see, he GAVE it to you”
- Create a need for your child to communicate
- E.g., place a desired object out of reach so they can practice making a request
- Pause and wait to give your child time to respond
- Celebrate progress, no matter how small.
- Follow your child’s lead and interests.
- Stay in touch with your SLP for personalized tips and goals
- Establish a routine with the SLP, i.e. a check-in at the beginning or end of the session.
- Ask the SLP for their “top 3 things” to work on at home each week to carry over skills learned in therapy
You are your child’s first and most important communication partner. When families and therapists work together, kids thrive!
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