Speech Therapy Guide

Speech therapy guide

What is Speech Therapy?

Speech and language therapy is the process of enabling people to communicate to the best of their ability. Communication involves listening, speaking, reading and writing. Some people use sign language, communication aids or other methods to communicate.

If your child has a speech disability that includes trouble pronouncing words, speech therapy may help improve language development, communication, and pragmatic language skills.

Speech therapy doesn't just address the ability to speak but also a wide variety of cognitive and processing issues. Just because a loved one can "talk just fine" doesn't mean he or she will not benefit from a speech assessment.

Communication problems may result from:
• Autism
• Delayed language development
• Stammering
• Inappropriate use of speech sounds
• Learning difficulties
• Head injury
• Hearing loss
• Disorders of the voice
• Cleft palate
• Physical disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy
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Speech therapists, or speech and language pathologists (SLPs), are the professionals who provide these services. Speech therapy includes two components: 1) coordinating the mouth to produce sounds to form words and sentences (to address articulation, fluency, and voice volume regulation); and 2) understanding and expressing language (to address the use of language through written, pictorial, body, and sign forms, and the use of language through alternative communication systems such as social media, computers, and iPads).

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