Speech/Language Services

Wickstrom-Ruiz
Emily Wickstrom-Ruiz  

630-773-0554 ext. 8004

Speech-language pathologists work on many different areas of communication with students.  A speech-language pathologist may work with students on helping them to produce sounds correctly, or produce syllable and word shapes correctly.  Speech-language pathologists also work on different areas of receptive and expressive language, including increasing vocabulary knowledge and usage, helping students learn what word types to use and to use them in the correct order (syntax), and helping students that have difficulty with comprehension or answering questions.  Additionally, speech-language pathologists may help minimally verbal students find alternative or augmentative modes of communication (i.e., using a communication device, using picture exchange, core vocabulary).  A speech-language pathologist may work on helping students who stutter increase their speech fluency by teaching stuttering modification and fluency enhancing techniques, and they even help students learn the social rules of language and conversation. 

 Some ways that you can promote speech and language development with young children is embedding it in everyday activities.  As the weather changes, you can talk about different weather patterns daily, you can discuss different clothes you might wear in different types of weather to increase vocabulary skills.  Spending time outside or playing inside your home, you can look for things that have your child’s speech sounds in them.  You can also target different linguistic concepts during different everyday activities such as color, size, shape, location, and quantity.  Language is all around us!

 



Ashley Anzalone
I love being a speech language pathologist for district 10! I received my bachelor's degree from Elmhurst University and my master's degree from Marquette University. I have been a speech language pathologist for 14 years. I am very passionate about helping children communicate more effectively for better success in the classroom! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at [email protected].