Speech therapy has to start as soon as you notice a concern. If your child has not started babbling or speaking unlike kids their age, turning to speech therapy can be greatly beneficial. Let us explore more about this topic in our article.
What exactly is speech therapy?
Speech therapy would mean treatments that would be focussed on improving the child’s speech skills (communication skills) and language development. It can be especially beneficial for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.
When should speech therapy ideally begin?
There is no particular age to begin speech therapy. It has to be done when the parents detect communication issues in their child. Let us look at how speech can develop in different stages of development.
1 year: By 1 year, the child should understand basic words or respond to words through body movements. If your child does not do this, speech therapy might be required.
2 years: Children at this age are able to speak a few sentences and use words.
3 years: At this age, a child would have developed a good vocabulary. If they are not able to speak many words at this age, you can take them to a speech therapist.
Speech therapy is not just for children. Even adults with communication issues can benefit greatly from speech therapy.
What is done in speech therapy?
For children, speech therapy involves language-based games, word games, and picture sequencing games. For adults, it might involve tasks to do with memory, categorization as well as speech and voice therapy techniques.
Some of the activities done in speech therapy are described below:
Tongue/mouth exercises: Your speech therapist will help in performing motions of the mouth, which can help in strengthening the tongue muscles.
Facial exercises: If you have a disorder that prevents you from moving your facial muscles properly, facial exercises might be recommended to improve motor skills.
Reading out loud: It can help improve comprehension skills.
Playing language/word-based games: This can help in enhancing vocabulary, memory, and comprehension.
What are the benefits of speech therapy?
There are many benefits of speech therapy. Some of them are listed below:
It improves the functioning of the neck, jaw, and mouth muscles.
Helps in making the speech sound more precise.
Helps to understand facial and non-verbal cues.
Aids to control voice modulation.
Aids in improving language fluency.
Aids in safe swallowing.
Boosts self-esteem.
How long is speech therapy required?
The duration of speech therapy can vary from person to person. In some cases, it is required for a shorter duration. In other cases, it can be lifelong. It depends on various factors like age, speech disorder’s severity, frequency of attending speech therapy sessions, and other underlying health issues.
When it comes to speech therapy, the earlier you start, the better. Every child develops at their own pace; however, if your child is not meeting the milestones, persistently, then it might be an issue. The child would become more confident in expressing themselves through speech therapy. So, the sooner, the better!
