Speech therapy begins with an assessment to identify the what type of communication disorder your child has and how best to treat it. Speech therapy can take place one on one, in a small group, or classroom setting. The activities and exercises a speech therapy will use depends on your child’s needs, age, and disorder.
This may involve:
Interaction through strategic games, playing, talking, using pictures, books, and other objects to stimulate speech and language development.
Teaching children how to make correct syllables and sounds during age appropriate play.
Provide parents and caregivers the necessary resources and strategies to help their child develop the speech and language.
Tactics to improve problem solving, organization, social and cognitive communication.
Exercises to strength oral muscles.
How long will your child need speech or language therapy?
This depends on a number of factors: including their age, severity and type of disorder, frequency of speech therapy, any underlying medical conditions.
Is speech therapy successful?
The type of disorder being treated and the age treatment starts, has a huge impact on the outcome. Research shows, speech therapy is more successful the earlier it starts and how involved the parent and caregivers are at home.
What Should You Do?
Children develop at their own rate, so what should you do? According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
You know your child best. You don’t have to wait and see if you think there might be a problem. And you don’t have to guess if your child will catch up. You can have your child seen by a speech-language pathologist, or SLP. The SLP will talk to you about your concerns and test how well your child understands, speaks, and uses gestures.
The SLP may give you ideas about how to help your child talk. The SLP may suggest that you come back again if you are still worried in a few months. If your child shows signs of a problem, the SLP may suggest that you talk to an early intervention program.
This program can work with you to find ways to help your child communicate better. They can also help if you have any other concerns about your child’s development.
If you suspect your child may have a speech or language disorder, take the first step. Contact First Words Speech Therapy,
Our therapists have extensive clinical experience and training. Our effective holistic approach takes place in your child’s natural environment, providing the highest quality of care.
