Speech therapy is the assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders. It is performed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), who are often referred to as speech therapists. Speech therapy is a treatment for both children and adults. This training helps people with speech and language problems speak more clearly.
Who need speech therapy- speech therapy children, speech therapy for adults?
Speech therapy can be helpful for various conditions, and it is often approach for different reasons for children and adults.
Speech therapy in children is required for:-
ADHD,
Articulation, and Phonological disorder,
Reading difficulties,
Improving Handwriting in children.
However, speech therapy can be helpful for adults for reasons quite different from those mentioned above.
Speech therapy can help adults with:-
Articulation disorders
Communication issues that began in childhood but were never properly treated
Communication issues post stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or ALS
Modify their accents or change the pitch, intonation, or quality of their voice
Improving their confidence and communication abilities in the workplace, interviewing, and interacting with colleague.
How does speech therapy work?
Speech therapy is provided by a speech therapist and now-a-days preferred term is speech language pathologist. The aim of a speech language pathologist is to find the root cause of any speech, language, literacy, feeding, or oral motor in-coordination related conditions. It enables them to identify the unique strengths of each individual and work with them in order to improve their language and communication skills.
A speech therapist first performs a comprehensive evaluation and reviews your concerns. Based on the initial assessment the therapist formulates a specific therapy plan based on your needs and goals, it helps them track your progress during the therapy sessions.
The speech therapy activities also vary based on the goals. For instance, if the client has difficulty in pronouncing the “s” sound, the therapy begins with learning the sound by itself and working towards incorporating it in daily conversation.
The frequency of therapy sessions can range from daily sessions to weekly based on your diagnosis.
Duration of speech therapy.
We are often asked by clients how long will the speech therapy last, there is no easy, definite answer to this question. The length of speech therapy varies from client to client for various reasons. The duration of therapy can depend on:-
Age
Type and severity of underlying condition, for instance, and individual with speech sound disorder may complete therapy earlier than the person with aphasia post stroke.
Frequency of therapy
Individual's responsive to therapy.
The best way to maximize the benefits of speech therapy and reach your goal quickly is to practice your communication skills outside the therapy. Practice daily and reinforce what you learnt in the sessions. Another advice is not to miss the sessions, because missed sessions with just add up over time and will delay your progress.
Where can you get speech therapy?
Speech therapy is provided at various different settings such as:-
Speech therapy practices
Rehabilitative care centers
Special needs schools
Children's day care facilities specializing in speech therapy
What is online speech therapy?
With the technical advancements, online speech therapy has become quite popular. It is usually provided in the comfort of your home. A speech therapist provides therapy via online modes like video conferencing applications like Zoom, Google meet, Skype, etc.
Few benefits of online speech therapy are:-
Your location isn't a limitation anymore
It is cost-effective.
It can be attended from the comfort of your home.
It can also be helpful for immunocompromised individuals as they are very prone to catch infections.
There is a reduced time constraint, can be quite easy to fit the call with the therapist into their busy schedule.
You also can get access to various support groups.
There is more involvement of the parents in the online sessions, especially for kids.
Sounderic has come up with qualified tele-speech therapists whose services you can avail with just a click of a button.
Is speech therapy effective?
A study conducted on 700 participants to assess the effectiveness of speech therapy concluded that,
"An average of 6 h of speech and language therapy in a 6-month period can produce significant improvement in performance, and it has been shown to be more effective than no treatment over the same 6-month period for children with primary speech and/or language impairment."
A study conducted on stroke patients with aphasia concluded that consistent speech therapy during the first 6 months post stroke can be very effective in recovery of the patients.
"According to our findings, 16 sessions of SLT, 2 days per week and 30–60 minutes per day, is an effective method in the treatment of patients with subacute stroke presenting with moderate to severe aphasia."
Why choose Sounderic for speech therapy?
It is challenging to find the right speech therapist to work with your child and also let's not forget the long wait lines to get therapy appointments. Even if you get an appointment, the frequency of speech therapy is less. Thus, the child misses out on the early years of intervention.
Speech therapy sessions are customized according to the child's needs, strengths, and interests. We offer parent training programs and home training programs as well.
In order, to read more about what people say about us, click here.
Our case studies section showcases detailed accounts of the remarkable progress our clients have made through our programs.
Reference