What Is Speech-Language Therapy?

Speech-language therapy is the treatment for children with speech and/or language disorders. A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, whereas a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas.

Speech and language therapy aims to assist children in improving their communication skills.

Speech Disorders and Language Disorders

Speech disorders include the following problems, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):

• Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people can't understand what's being said.
• Fluency disorders include problems such as stuttering, the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering).
• Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking.
• Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders, including difficulties with eating and swallowing.

• In the case of an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder the tongue moves forward in an exagerated way when articulating sounds and when swallowing. The tongue rests in an abnormal position between the upper and lower teeth. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/OMD.htm

Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive:

• Receptive disorders refer to difficulties understanding or processing language.
• Expressive disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way (pragmatic language difficulties).

This could mean the child has difficulty with expressing his thought or understanding instructions.

Remediation can significantly help reduce difficulties for your child.