Welcome to my website!
Welcome to my website. My name is Melissa Guster and I am the Speech & Language Pathologist at Davenport Ridge Elementary School. The purpose of this website is to help parents better understand Speech and Language disorders and to provide resources that can help parents develop Speech and Language skills with their children at home. These resources can be used with children who exhbit Speech and Language delays as well as with children who just require some extra strategies or practice. If you have any questions feel free to contact me:
Melissa Guster
(203) 977-4810
[email protected]
What is a Speech and Language Disorder?
A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, whereas a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas.
Speech disorders:
Melissa Guster
(203) 977-4810
[email protected]
What is a Speech and Language Disorder?
A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, whereas a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas.
Speech disorders:
- Articulation disorders: difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that listeners can't understand what's being said.
- Fluency disorders: problems such as stuttering, in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables.
- Resonance or voice disorders: problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for a child when speaking.
- Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders: these include difficulties with drooling, eating, and swallowing.
- Expressive language disorders: difficulty with verbal and written expression. Spoken language is exhibited below the appropriate level for the person’s age. There may be problems with vocabulary, producing complex sentences and remembering words.
- Receptive language disorders: difficulties understanding and processing what is said. The child may have difficulty following directions, may often ask the speaker to repeat themselves, or may appear not to be listening.
- Pragmatic langauge disorders: difficulty with the pragmatics of language or using language appropriately in social situations.