Speech and Language Therapy
Speech & Language Therapy is a communication-building therapy that helps children develop social skills, articulation, and expressive/receptive language skills. It provides treatment, support, and care for children with communication difficulties, or with eating, drinking, and swallowing issues.
What Happens in a Speech & Language Therapy Session?
During speech therapy, the SLP may:
- Interact through talking and playing, using books, pictures, and other objects as part of language intervention to stimulate language development.
- Model correct sounds and syllables for a child during age-appropriate play to teach them how to make certain sounds.
- Provide strategies and a home program for the child and parent or caregiver on how to do speech therapy at home.
What are Speech Disorders?
A language disorder refers to problems understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas. Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive:
- Articulation Disorders: Problems with making sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly, making it hard for listeners to understand.
- Fluency Disorders: Problems such as stuttering, where the flow of speech is interrupted by unusual stops, partial-word repetitions, or prolonging sounds and syllables.
- Resonance or Voice Disorders: Problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners and may cause pain or discomfort when speaking.
Treating Speech and Language Disorders
In Speech-Language Therapy, an SLP works with a child one-on-one, in a small group, or in a classroom setting to overcome speech and language problems. Therapists use various strategies, including:
- Language Intervention Activities: Interacting with a child through play, talking, using pictures, books, and objects to stimulate language development.
- Articulation Therapy: Involves sound production exercises where the therapist models correct sounds and syllables during play activities. The level of play is age-appropriate and tailored to the child’s needs.
- Oral-Motor / Feeding and Swallowing Therapy: Using oral exercises, including facial massage and various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises, to strengthen mouth muscles for eating, drinking, and swallowing. Introducing different food textures and temperatures to increase oral awareness during eating and swallowing.