Speech Therapy: What Is It?



Speech therapy is the assessment, treatment, and management of communication difficulties and speech disorders. It is carried out by speech-language specialists (SLPs), also known as speech therapists.

These include articulation and language intervention activities. The type of speech and language disorder will determine which one is used.

Speech therapy may need to be provided for speech disorders in children or impairments in adults due to an injury, such as a stroke or head injury.

 Why Should You Seek Speech Therapy?

Speech therapy is a treatment option done at speech pathology Sydney for many speeches and language disorders.

Speech Disorders. An articulation problem is a disorder that prevents you from correctly forming certain word sounds. This speech disorder causes a child to lose, swap, distort, add, or subtract word sounds. For example, a child may say “thith”, rather than “this”.

Fluency Conditions. A fluency disorder is a condition that affects the flow, speed, and rhythm of speech. Stuttering and cluttering are all fluency conditions. Someone with stuttering can have trouble getting out a sound. Cluttering is a condition that causes a person to speak quickly and to combine words.

Acoustic Disorders. The blockage or obstruction in regular airflow to the nasal or oral cavities disrupts the vibrations that control voice quality. It can also happen when the velopharyngeal valve doesn’t close properly. Resonance disorders often occur with the deformed palate, neurological diseases, and swollen toenails.

Receptive Conditions. A person suffering from receptive language disorders has difficulty understanding and processing the information of others. It can lead to you being uninterested in listening when others speak, difficulty following directions, and limited vocabulary. You may also experience other language disorders such as autistic, loss, and a head injury.

Expressive Disorders. Expressive language disorder is when you have difficulty communicating information. Expressive disorders could cause trouble with sentence structure, including incorrect verb tenses. It is also associated with developmental disorders such as Down syndrome, hearing loss, and other developmental impairments. It can also occur due to a head injury or a medical condition.

Cognitive-Communication Disorders. It can cause memory and problem-solving issues as well as difficulties speaking and listening. It can be caused either by a neurological condition, brain injury, abnormal brain growth, or a stroke.

Aphasia. These are acquired communication disorders that can impact a person’s abilities to understand and communicate with others. It can also cause problems with reading and writing. Aphasia is most frequently caused by stroke. However, other mental disorders might also lead to it.

Dysarthria. These are symptoms of slow or slurred communication due to weakness in the muscles that allow for speech. It is usually caused by disorders of the nervous system and conditions that cause paralysis (or throat and tongue weakness).

The Process Of Speech Therapy.

An assessment by an SLP, who will diagnose the type of communication disorder as well as the best treatment method, is the beginning of speech therapy.

Speech Therapy For Adults

Assessment is a key part of speech therapy for adults. The assessment will determine what your needs are and how to best treat them. Speech therapy for adults can improve speech, language, or cognitive-communication.

Speech Therapy: How Successful Are You?

The success rate in speech therapy depends on the individual disorder being treated as well as the age groups. It can also affect the outcome of speech therapy by how you start it.