Why Speech Therapy?

If your child is struggling with reading and spelling, speech therapy may not always seem like the most obvious solution. Many generalize speech therapy as being used solely for those children who have trouble articulating themselves such as stutterers. This is true of speech therapists, but they also address other kinds of issues with written and spoken language such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and auditory processing disorder.

Contact us at 718-268-0092 for a licensed and reputable speech therapist

The Role of a Speech Therapist

One of the primary roles of a speech therapist is to diagnose what kind of language problem a child is suffering from. They also consider what can be causing the issue as well as how to best treat the condition. Speech language therapists can help with articulation problems such as not speaking clearly and also fluency problems such as difficulty with stuttering and the flow of speech. Other speech issues are related to resonance problems such as voice pitch, quality, and volume as well as feeding problems including swallowing, eating, and drooling.

Speech language therapists use an array of different strategies to help their students based on their specific speech struggles and their style of learning. Strategies may include language intervention activities such as using pictures, books, and play based therapy. Articulation therapy utilizes modeling sounds the child has difficulty making as well as showing how to move one’s tongue to create specific sounds. Lastly feeding and swallowing therapy teaches the child how to strengthen the muscles of the mouth which can include facial massage and various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises.

The Overall Strategy of Speech Therapy

Overall, speech therapy offers several benefits to children struggling with various speech impediments. Kids can learn how to speak more clearly and combat the issues they are having in speaking. As a result, this allows them to gain confidence in speaking publicly with others. Speech therapy can offer students with speech disabilities social, academic, and emotional self-confidence. One particular study has shown that 70% of preschool kids with language issues who participated in speech therapy showed great improvements in language skills.

Speech therapy services can last for months or for years depending on the child’s needs. Though therapy won’t cure your child’s speech disability, it will allow them to cope with their language issues. Your assigned therapist will likely give your child activities to practice at home to reinforce skills they have learned. Students who make the most progress are those that get involved in their treatment and take ownership of it. It is also essential that your child and their assigned speech therapist are a good match based on the specific needs of your child and the therapist’s practical experiences.

Contact us at 718-268-0092 for a licensed and reputable speech therapist