When children first begin to speak, it can be normal to struggle pronouncing words or forming sentences correctly. It can be a sign of a speech or language disorder if the problems persist. The Speech Language Pathologist team at First Words Speech Therapy can help your child with all their communication skills.
Short Term Benefits of Speech Therapy
Speech therapy works through many exercises to improve the nonverbal and verbal communication skill of your child. This may include tasks to learn social skills and strengthening muscles used for speech, helping them formulate sounds. Which also encourages brain development to improve your child’s overall quality of life.
Learning nonverbal communication skills
Improving speech articulation and clarity
Learn how to appropriately express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas
How to understand social cues to balance themselves in conversation
Aid in interactions with peers and adults by developing conversation skills
Long Term Benefits of Speech Therapy
Long term benefits of speech therapy are numerous. Learning personal communication skills, understanding social cues, being able to follow a conversion, oral and written communications, overall they will feel a greater confidence in themselves.
Improve social skills. Through modeling, stories, and role playing, a Speech Therapist can improve your child’s social skills for effective interactions in daily life.
Increase literacy and reading skills. A Speech Pathologist can help your child’s reading, write, communication, and listening skills.
Reduce stuttering. Speech therapists can teach your child strategies to slow the speech, to eliminate or reduce a stutter.
Enhance nonverbal communication. Learning non-verbal cues isn’t always easy. Such as, eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, as well as alternate communications.
Eliminate frustration speech therapy helps your child strengthen the muscles used for speech, repeating sounds, and words, to enhance their speech clarity.
Check back with us next week as we talk about the signs your child may need speech therapy and when a parent should pursue speech therapy for their child, until then contact First Words Speech Therapy for more information.
