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Speech therapy works and can be used for children, teens or even adults. It is a service that provides treatment for communication and language problems.
Despite what many people think, communication problems and language disorders are prevalent. A study conducted in 2015 showed that around 8% of children aged between 3–17 experienced a communication disorder in the year.
A speech-language pathologist, or an SLP, works with individuals to assess and then create individualized plans to accomplish a set of goals. Each session is personalized to the client based on what they want to achieve because many clients come in with different purposes, the journey to success is paved differently.
There are usually three phases during speech therapy:
The consultation is the first part of the process. Clients will meet with the consultant to discover what the service is and how it can help you. This is a brief process to determine if the service is right for you and to answer any questions that you may have.
During the assessment, the SLP will evaluate your speech using many techniques. For example, the SLP may ask you to speak in various contexts, answer questions, read a passage, have a conversation, or give a presentation. These exercises will help them to conduct a full analysis of your speech. At the end of the assessment, the SLP will conclude with a full assessment summary, and any SLP discovers' observations or goals.
The training sessions are usually an ongoing process between the SLP and the client. There is no set number of sessions that you will need because everyone learns differently. The SLP usually starts with easy word levels and works their client's way up to a full conversation.
Although each session is unique, here is an example of an accent modification session:
The client practices making the sound consistent in words and sentences first and then practicing using them in conversation-like activities. If the sound is challenging, then the SLP will train you on hearing the difference between sounds first and then coach you on how to make the sound by talking about the placement of where your tongue, teeth, lips go.
The success of speech therapy depends on the clients. Several studies concluded that children and adults had shown an increasing improvement in their language skills from attending speech therapy. For example, in one study, 70 percent of preschool kids with language issues who went through speech therapy showed improved language skills.
The learning pace and practicing of the clients will make all the difference in your success rate. Fast learners, and those who practice their exercises frequently, will show more significant improvement than others.
But, the bottom line is that speech therapy works for people of all ages and disorders. It can not only help you overcome your communication problems and language disorders but also boost self-confidence.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about what a speech therapist can do for you, visit our website.
