SOUND CONNECTIONS
SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGYSound Connections is now offering Speech-Language Pathology services in Calgary!
Sound Connections is excited to offer two service streams! The first stream continues our traditional programs, featuring instructors who have received specialized training in Sound Connections programming from our management team. The second stream introduces assessment and intervention services provided by a registered Speech-Language Pathologist. To learn about our Sound Connections classical offerings, visit Our Approach Page.
Ella Mackay Singh, M.Sc.A. CCC-SLP
ACSLPA Registration #6041
ASHA Member #14419298
Ella Mackay Singh is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with a special passion for helping learners of all ages unlock the power of reading and writing.
Ella earned her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from McGill University, and then began her career at Beverly Hospital on Boston’s north shore. There, she supported a wide range of pediatric learners (including those with articulation impairment, language delay, and neurodiverse needs) and addressed various adult conditions (aphasia, progressive language loss). Upon relocation to the midwest, Ella officially focused in on her passion for literacy, and joined the Chicago Speech and Reading Center.
Prior to and during her SLP schooling, Ella worked at Sound Connections using our systematic and explicit approach to reading and writing instruction. Ella is also trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach to reading instruction, and completed her Certificate of Advanced Study in Literacy & Language through the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions (MGH IHP) in summer 2024.
COULD MY CHILD BENEFIT FROM LITERACY INTERVENTION WITH A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST?
If your child has a diagnosed speech, language, or learning disability, or if there are ongoing concerns from school, parents and/or caregivers about your child’s reading/writing performance compared to their peers, they may benefit from literacy instruction with an SLP.
Diagnoses and descriptors indicative of reading impairment include:
- dyslexia
- poor comprehender
- mixed reading impairment (difficulty with decoding and comprehending)
Diagnoses and descriptors that commonly co-occur with reading impairment include:
- delayed speech or language development
- phonological awareness deficit (difficulty identifying/isolating speech sounds)
- difficulties with fluency: choppy, effortful and/or errorful reading aloud
- developmental language disorder (DLD)
- dysgraphia or spelling difficulties
- learning disability
- executive functioning deficit
- AD/HD
- attention/memory/self-monitoring difficulties
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT LITERACY INSTRUCTION WITH A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST?
Speech-Language Pathologists are most often recognized for their ability to treat speech impairments, like delayed development of the sound /r/ or lisps. However, as their title suggests, Speech-Language Pathologists are equipped to address both speech and language deficits. Language deficits can be harder to identify, and often emerge as underdeveloped vocabulary, and incorrect or simplified sentence formation.
SLPs also address how language is used and overall communication ability. This includes knowing how to read a piece of dialogue out loud so that it sounds like someone speaking, knowing which words to use based on the audience, and the ability to express oneself in writing. Additionally, their educational background and training allows them to take factors like executive function and self-regulation into account when intervening.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER FOR LITERACY?
Successful literacy development is dependent on a solid foundation of speech and language skills. Without this solid foundation, literacy development may suffer.
For example, a child who struggles to develop awareness of the individual speech sounds that make up spoken words may also struggle to develop awareness of how specific letters correspond to specific sounds in written words (letter-sound correspondence). Likewise, a child who struggles to understand the meaning of spoken language (e.g., a child who lets the dog out of the house and then closes the gate even though you said “let the dog out after you close the gate”) may then also struggle to understand the sequence of events in a written text.
Research-based models, like The Active View of Reading by Nell K. Duke & Kelly B. Cartwright, emphasize how executive functioning and self-regulation are essential overarching skills for literacy success, and Scarborough’s Reading Rope can help us understand the many facets that contribute to skilled reading:
Watch this video by Calgary Reads to learn more about each strand.
Ella’s Master’s level education in speech-language pathology, combined with her certificate in literacy and experience implementing multiple structured language interventions (i.e., Sound Connections, Orton-Gillingham), make her uniquely equipped to:
- continuously interweave all “strands” of the reading rope into literacy intervention
- assess, identify, and target your child’s specific areas of difficulty
- flexibly modify and expand on Sound Connections programming to meet your child’s individual needs
- intervene with children with diverse needs and/or learning challenges or who haven’t responded to high-quality general instruction
INSURANCE COVERAGE:
Sound Connections accepts insurance coverage for SLP services. A pre-existing diagnosis, assessment results showing performance outside of the normal range, and/or clinically significant concerns from SLP, teachers, pediatrician, parents and/or caregivers can justify the submission of insurance claims.
Contact SLP Calgary
Contact Ella today at [email protected] or (647) 868-9532 to get the conversation started!