Speech therapy is a profession that focuses on the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of communication disorders. Speech therapists address disorders involving speech (articulation, fluency), language (receptive/expressive) and swallowing. Additionally, they provide rehabilitative services to patients with cognitive-communication disorders. The primary goal of speech therapy is to help individuals develop functional communication skills and to foster their quality of life.
Speech therapy is an effective treatment option for people of all ages who struggle to communicate. This type of therapy focuses on the ability to produce speech sounds, use oral muscular movements, and understand and express language. During these sessions, a speech-language pathologist works with patients to improve their overall communication skills. Speech therapy can be especially beneficial in treating speech disorders such as:
- Stuttering
When a person has difficulty producing fluent speech, often characterized by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (llllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables.
- Dysarthria
When a person has difficulties moving their mouth, tongue, or other muscles involved in speech production due to conditions such as multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy.
- Aphasia
When a person struggles to write or speak words correctly due to brain damage caused by a stroke or head injury.
- Apraxia of Speech
When a person has difficulty speaking because they are unable to coordinate the muscle movements needed for clear speech production.
Speech therapy is a type of therapy that helps people to communicate and talk better. This can mean understanding what has been said, or speaking/sounding more clearly. It can also include social skills, like turn-taking or starting conversations. Speech and language therapists (SLTs) work with people who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking, or swallowing.
You’ve probably seen speech therapists in action: They’re the people who work with individuals who struggle to speak, or need help recovering from stroke or surgery. As a speech therapist, you will provide assessments and treatment plans for people of all ages who have speech and communication disorders.
Most patients are children, but adults also seek speech therapy to treat conditions such as stuttering and communication impairments following illnesses or injuries. Speech therapists must be licensed. To become licensed, they typically need a master’s degree in speech-language pathology, along with clinical experience and certification.
Speech therapy is a kind of treatment that helps people with special needs or injuries learn to speak and improve their speech. The therapy can help someone who has had a stroke or brain injury, or someone with autism or Down’s syndrome.
Several different kinds of speech therapists exist, depending on the kind of injury or disability someone has. For example, dysphagia refers to problems in swallowing and speaking related to an injury or illness. Speech therapists who deal with this specialize in neurogenic disorders and can help rehabilitate people experiencing dysphagia.
There are also specialists who work with voice disorders, which may be congenital (from birth) or acquired (from an accident, illness, etc.).
There are also speech therapists who work with children and adults who have learning disabilities. These professionals are trained to work with children of various ages and abilities. They can help children develop communication skills while they learn to read and write, as well as teach them how to interact appropriately in a classroom setting.