Health Department Offers Speech and Hearing Services

What Are Speech and Hearing Services?

The Health Department's speech and hearing services focus on community education and early identification of speech and hearing issues.

“We do a lot of preschool screenings, a lot of screenings at the adult community centers, at the senior centers, following the health department motto, which is, that we have to promote the health and well-being of everyone in Fairfax County,” said Sawant.

These services address a wide range of issues:

• Speech disorders - problems with articulation, oral motor issues, fluency disorders and voice disorders.
• Language disorders - difficulties with receptive language (understanding others) and expressive language (communicating thoughts).
• Hearing disorders - problems hearing sounds or central auditory processing disorders (difficulty processing sound information).

Services for Children

For children, speech and language development follows predictable patterns:

• At one year: typically saying one-word utterances (like ‘mama’)
• At two years: using two-word combinations (like ‘mama milk’)
• At three years: speaking in simple sentences (like ‘I want milk, mommy’)

Throughout May, the department offers free speech screenings for children aged 3-7 at county libraries. No appointments are needed.

The department also offers a summer program called Reading Intensive Summer Program (RISE) for children with reading difficulties when school is out of session.

“For kids who have an IEP, who receive services in school, but do not receive those services during summertime. We do not want a summer decline, so we provide those services only during summertime when the schools are out,” Sawant explained.

Services for Adults

The department also supports older adults with various services:

• Hearing screenings at senior centers and adult day care centers
• Helping Hand Stroke Club - a weekly meeting for stroke survivors
• Caregiver support groups to prevent burnout
• Maintenance groups to help adults maintain speech abilities after therapy

“There is a lot of caregiver burnout. It really helps when you have all the caregivers come together, exchange ideas, exchange thoughts. I think it’s a really great thing for them,” said Sawant.

Warning Signs to Watch For

Parents should consider getting their child screened if:

• The child is not talking as much as other children their age
• Parents can’t understand what their child is saying
• The child doesn’t seem to hear when called

For adults, warning signs include:

• Difficulty listening or paying attention
• Problems finding the right words to say
• Memory issues with words

Affordable Access to Care

A key benefit of the county’s services is affordability. The department offers a sliding fee scale based on family size and income.

“Depending on your family size and your family income, you do qualify for sliding scale” for county services Sawant explained.

The department also accepts Medicaid, making it one of the few providers in the area to do so.

Where to Get Help

The Health Department offers speech and hearing services at three locations:

• Joseph Willard Health Center in Fairfax (closing October 2025)*
• Mount Vernon District Office in Alexandria
• Herndon-Reston District Office in Reston

For more information, call 703-246-7120 or visit our Speech and Hearing Services web page. 

The County Conversation Podcast

The “County Conversation” is a podcast featuring employees and subject matter experts from the Fairfax County Government discussing programs, services and items of interest to residents of Fairfax County. Listen to past episodes of “County Conversation.” To find other county podcasts, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/podcasts.