Speech Therapy
What happens during Speech Therapy?
Communication issues and speech abnormalities are evaluated and treated in speech therapy. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), sometimes known as speech therapists, carry out this treatment.
Techniques from speech therapy are utilised to enhance communication. Depending on the type of speech or language issue, these could include articulation therapy, language intervention exercises, and others.
Speech disorders that appear in children or speech impairments in adults brought on by an illness or accident, such as a brain injury or stroke, may require speech therapy.
Why does one need Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy is an effective treatment for many speech and language impairments.
- Problems of articulation: The inability to appropriately pronounce specific word sounds is referred to as an articulation disorder. This speech problem can cause a kid to omit, switch, distort, or add word sounds. Saying “thith” instead of “this” would be an illustration of word distortion.
- Fluency problems: Speaking with a disordered rhythm, pace, or fluency. Fluency issues include stuttering and cluttering. A person who stutters has difficulty producing sounds, and their speech may be halted, obstructed, or repeat a word in part. A person with cluttering frequently speaks quickly and combines words.
- Receptive dysfunction: Receptive language disorder affects a person’s ability to comprehend and process language. This may make you appear indifferent when someone is speaking, make it difficult for you to understand what someone is saying, or limit your vocabulary. A receptive language issue can be brought on by other language disorders, autism, hearing loss, and head trauma.
- Expressivity problems: Information conveyed or expressed poorly is a symptom of expressive language impairment. If you struggle to compose complete sentences—for example, by employing the wrong verb tense—you may have an expressive issue. It is connected to developmental disabilities like hearing loss and Down syndrome. Injuries to the head or a medical condition might also cause it.
- Impairments of cognitive and communication: Cognitive-communication disorder is characterised by communication difficulties brought on by damage to the area of the brain that governs thought. It may lead to memory problems, trouble solving problems, and difficulties speaking or listening. It may be brought on by biological issues, including aberrant brain growth, specific neurological diseases, a brain injury, or a stroke.
- Aphasia: The ability to talk and understand people is affected by this acquired communication problem. Also frequently impacted are a person’s reading and writing skills. Aphasia can be caused by a variety of different brain illnesses, but strokes are by far the most frequent cause.
- Dysarthria: This disorder is characterised by delayed or slurred speech because the muscles utilised for speech are weak or difficult to control.
Therapy for children’s speech
Depending on the speech impairment, your child’s speech treatment may take place in a classroom, small group, or one-on-one. Depending on the disease, age, and needs of your child, several exercises and activities are used in speech therapy. In children’s speech therapy, the SLP might:
- As part of language intervention, engage in conversation, play, and use of books, drawings, and other things to help promote language development.
- Model the appropriate syllables and sounds for the child’s age.
- Using the right games to show the kid how to create different noises.
- Give the child’s parent or caretaker tips and assignments on how to do speech therapy at home.
Adult speech therapy:
Adult speech therapy also starts with an evaluation to identify your needs and the most appropriate course of action. You can improve your speaking skills by using speech therapy activities for adults.
If an injury or medical condition like Parkinson’s disease or oral cancer has produced swallowing difficulties, therapy may also involve retraining swallowing function.
Exercises could include:
- Activities focused at problem-solving, memory, organisation, and other skills.
- Activities intended to enhance cognitive communication.
- Verbal strategies to enhance social interaction.
- Breathing drills to improve resonance.
- Oral muscle strengthening exercises.
