Speech therapy is used to identify and treat communication problems and speech disorders. It is performed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), sometimes called speech therapists. Logopedic approaches are carried out to improve communication. Depending on the nature of the speech or language problem, this may be articulation therapy, language intervention exercises, or others. Speech therapy may be required for childhood or adolescent speech difficulties caused by injury or illness, such as a heart attack, stroke, or brain injury.
What is speech therapy?
Speech therapy is a type of intervention that aims to improve a child’s voice and ability to interpret and express language, especially nonverbal cues. These services are provided by speech therapists, often known as “speech and language therapists” (SLPs). Speech therapy consists of two parts:
- Lip coordination to produce sounds that form words and phrases (to address articulation, fluency, and voice volume regulation)
- Language comprehension and expression (to address language use in written, pictorial, body, and sign forms, as well as in alternative communication systems such as social media, computers, and iPads). Furthermore, the function of SLPs in the treatment of swallowing difficulties has expanded to include those aspects of feeding.
When is speech therapy needed?
Speech therapy may be needed for speech disorders that develop in childhood or adult speech impairments caused by injury or disease, such as stroke or brain injury.
Why Do Some Children Require Speech-Language Therapy?
- Hearing difficulties, mental (thinking, intellectual), or other developmental disabilities.
- Oral tendons that are weak
- The hoarseness persists.
- Cleft lip and palate.
- Autism.
- Motor planning issues and articulation issues.
What are the benefits of speech therapy for kids?
Communication Aid
Provide opportunities for voiceless children to communicate through augmented and unaided communications (e.g., notebooks, low- and medium-tech communications devices, high-tech communications devices, or communications applications). Speech and language therapy is not just about language; it also includes language. Many people believe speech therapy is all about language, but it’s so much more than that.
Help with Social Skills
Appropriate pragmatic/social skills are key to interacting with others in your community and your life. When you have limited or no language function, pragmatic language skills are often significantly delayed and impaired. Social skills can be specifically promoted with the help of video models, role plays, specific therapy apps, social stories, and various other strategies and tools. Using assisted communication with these strategies to improve these social skills is an important aspect of Speech therapy.
Reading Help
Speech delays can cause problems with hearing, reading, and writing. Reading and reading skills can help significantly in communication. If you can spell, you can communicate freely.
Improving Alternative Communication Methods
Work on other communication strategies to facilitate communication, such as gestures, sign language, approximations, vocalizations, or other means of communication.
When to start speech therapy for a toddler
The optimal age for speech therapy for toddlers is when your child begins to fall behind or when you discover they aren’t meeting milestones. However, it is never too soon or too late to begin counseling. Around 18 months of age, children who are not speaking at all are typically referred for speech and language assessments.
Types of Speech Therapy
- Speech Therapy related to Stuttering
Many parents don’t know this, but Stuttering is incredibly frustrating for children. Unable to control the involuntary repetition of words, sounds, and syllables, children feel powerless and sometimes blame themselves.
The good news is that an SLP can do a lot to help your child. Initially, the SLP will ask you to describe your child’s stuttering symptoms. Based on your description and your assessment, the SLP will then tell you whether speech therapy is necessary as soon as possible. It is because most children can fully recover from Stuttering over time.
- Speech therapy related to apraxia of speech
With apraxia of speech, children know what they want to say but have difficulty making the right sounds or saying the right syllables. Therefore, it is generally limited to certain syllables and sounds only.
While children who stutter often outgrow it, apraxia of speech does not go away. Many parents make the mistake of believing this disorder is temporary because they’ve seen an adult recover from it. However, the truth is that apraxia in children is not the same as in adults. In short, talking to adults or interacting with other children for days does not help children with apraxia improve their language skills. The only solution is speech therapy by a licensed SLP.
An SLP begins by assessing your child’s symptoms and the severity of their condition. This is usually accomplished by running two separate tests. First, the therapist may look for muscle weakness in the jaw, lip, and tongue in what is called an “oral motor assessment.”
Once the physical test is complete, the SLP listens to your child’s speech to see if the stresses and pauses are placed correctly. There may be other tests, but these two are the most common.
- Speech Therapy for Aphasia
Unlike the other disorders on this list, aphasia is caused solely by brain injury. So it’s not a condition but rather a symptom of brain damage.
It is common for children with aphasia to have difficulty speaking, as they have trouble finding the right words and end up saying strange or inappropriate things in conversation.
Fortunately, aphasia in children is not permanent and improves over time. Most studies have shown that children with aphasia improve their language and communication skills as brain tissue repairs and new connections are formed.
- Speech Therapy for Swallowing Difficulties
Because children with swallowing difficulties have difficulty maintaining good control of their mouth and tongue, their speech may come out differently than expected. In addition, swallowing difficulties are usually caused by nerve damage or head and neck problems, which can further complicate your speech problems.
A speech therapist can help your child improve their speech skills by recommending swallowing exercises to strengthen the mouth, increase tongue range of motion, and improve chewing habits. All of this together helps your child swallow food and liquids more effectively, significantly improving their speech.
Conclusion
Poor communication abilities hamper many people’s success. If your children are having difficulty with it, they must work on improving themselves so that they can articulate their opinions. If you seek a rehabilitation center, TheraKids Noida is the best choice. It offers world-class facilities for children’s speech therapy. Our therapists are highly qualified professionals who give close attention to each child and help them gain confidence. Our first philosophy is to create an environment where people can gain confidence in dealing with their limitations. After reading the above blog now, you must have known when speech therapy is needed and how it will benefit your child.
