Speech Therapy

Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is the assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders. Speech therapy techniques are used to improve communication. These include articulation therapy, language intervention activities, and others depending on the type of speech or language disorder. Speech therapy may be needed for speech disorders that develop in childhood or speech impairments in adults caused by an injury or illness, such as stroke or brain injury.

Speech therapy may take place depending on the speech disorder. Speech therapy exercises and activities vary depending on your child’s disorder, age, and needs. During speech therapy for children, the SLP may:

• Interact through talking and playing, and using books, pictures other objects as part of language intervention to help stimulate language development.
• Model correct sounds and syllables for a child during age-appropriate play to teach the child how to make certain sounds.
• Provide strategies and homework for the child and parent or caregiver on how to do speech therapy at home.

What Are Speech Disorders?

A speech disorder refers to a problem with making sounds. Speech disorders include:

• Articulation disorders: These are problems with making sounds in syllables, or saying words incorrectly to the point that listeners can't understand what's being said.
• Fluency disorders: These include problems such as stuttering, in which the flow of speech is interrupted by unusual stops, partial-word repetitions ("b-b-boy"), or prolonging sounds and syllables (sssssnake).
• Resonance or voice disorders: These are problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for a child when speaking.