Speech therapy diagnoses and treats speech issues. SLPs, also called speech therapists, perform it. Speech therapy improves communication. Articulation treatment, language intervention, and others rely on the speech or language issue.
Childhood speech difficulties and adult speech deficits caused by stroke or brain damage may require speech therapy.
Speech Therapy Treats Several Speech And Language Impairments:
Articulation Disorders: Articulation disorders are problems with word sounds. This speech condition causes children to drop, exchange, distort, or add words. Saying “this” instead of “this” is distorting.
Dysfluency: Fluency disorders influence speech flow, speed, and rhythm. Fluency issues include stuttering. Stuttering causes speech to be obstructed, stopped, or repeated. Clutterers speak quickly and mix words.
Resonance Disorders: When nasal or oral airflow is blocked, resonance disorders change voice vibrations. It can also occur if the velopharyngeal valve fails to shut. Cleft palate, neurological abnormalities, and enlarged tonsils commonly accompany resonance issues.
Receptive Disorders: Receptive language impairment causes difficulty interpreting and processing speech. This might make you appear bored in conversations, have problems following directions, or have a restricted vocabulary. Autism, hearing loss, brain injuries, and other language impairments can cause receptive language difficulties.
Expressive Disorders: Expressive language disorder is trouble communicating. An expressive issue might cause you to use the wrong verb tense. It is linked to Down syndrome and hearing loss. Head trauma or illness can cause it.
Cognitive-Communication Difficulties: Cognitive communication dysfunction is caused by brain damage to the thinking center. It can impair memory, problem-solving, speaking, and listening. Abnormal brain development, neurological diseases, brain injuries, and strokes can cause it.
Aphasia: This acquired communication disability impacts speech and understanding. It commonly impairs reading and writing. Aphasia is usually caused by stroke, although other brain problems might also be.
Dysarthria: This disorder causes sluggish or slurred speech owing to speech muscle weakness. MS, ALS, and stroke are the most prevalent causes.
Speech Therapy—What Happens?
An SLP will assess the communication impairment and choose the appropriate treatment.
Child Speech Therapy
Depending on the speech issue, your kid may get speech therapy in a classroom, small group, or individually. Your child’s disease, age, and needs determine speech therapy exercises. SLPs may:
- Speak, play, and use books, images, and other things to enhance language development.
- Educate a youngster to produce sounds and words by modeling them during age-appropriate play.
- Provide the kid and parent or caregiver home speech treatment techniques and assignments.
Adult Speech Therapy
Assessment is the first step in adult speech therapy. Adult speech therapy improves language, cognition, and speech.
If an accident or medical condition like Parkinson’s disease or oral cancer causes swallowing problems, therapy may include swallowing retraining.
Exercises Include:
- Problem-solving, memory, organizing, and other cognitive communication-enhancing activities
- Social dialogue techniques
- Resonance breathing exercises
- Oral muscle exercises
Home speech therapy resources include:
- Speech therapy apps
- Language-learning toys like flip cards and flashcards
- Workbooks
Speech Therapy: How Long?
Speech therapy duration depends on several factors:
- Age
- Speech disorder kind and severity
- Therapy frequency
- Ailment
- Medical therapy
Some speech impairments start in childhood and improve with age, while others persist until maturity and require ongoing treatment.
Treatment and medical improvement may improve a stroke-related communication issue.
Speech Treatment Effectiveness
Speech treatment effectiveness depends on age and problem. Speech treatment starts might also affect results.
Early, home-based speech therapy with a parent or caregiver is most effective for young children.
Conclusion
Speech therapist in Randwick may cure many speech and language issues in children and adults. Early speech treatment improves communication and self-confidence.
