Role of Speech Therapist

Speech therapy is the treatment for speech and communication disorders. The approach used varies depending on different speech and communication disorders. It may include physical exercises to strengthen the muscles used in speech (oral motor exercises), speech drills to improve clarity, or sound production practice to improve articulation. Below are the disorders wherein there is immense scope for intervention by a speech therapist.

1. CHILD LANGUAGE DISORDERS (delay in speech, autism)
   Will have difficulty in
   Social interaction:
   
   • Poor play skills (pretend or social play.)
   • Lack of interest in interaction with peers.
   • Poor eye contact with people.
   • Absence of facial expressions and body language.
   Communication skills:
   
   • Speech and language are profoundly disordered.
   • Difficulty expressing basic wants and needs.
   Stereotype /unusual behaviour.
   
   • Flapping arms.
   • No fear of real dangers.
   • Problems dealing with change in routine.
   
   
2. ARTICULATION DISORDERS:
   Children have difficulty producing speech sounds
   SODA Errors (“substitution”, “omission”, “distortion” and “addition”)
   EXAMPLES:
   • Substitution: One sound for another (i.e. /w/ for /r/)
   • Omission: Omitting a sound in a word (i.e. “top” for “stop”)
   • Distortion: Distorting a sound (i.e. “thee” for “see”)
   • Addition: Adding a sound in a word (i.e. “school” for “ischool”
   
   
3. FLUENCY DISORDERS: (stuttering or cluttering )
   Interruptions in the flow or rhythm of speech. Possible hesitations, repetitions, or prolongations.
   “Can affect individual sounds, syllables, words, and/or phrases”.
   Examples:
   • Sound: “a” will be like “aaa”…
   • Syllables: “ma” will be like “ma..ma..ma…”
   • Words: “My...my…my..”
   • Phrases: “My name…my name…my name...”
   
   
4. Hearing Impairment:
   • Aural Rehabilitation
   • Lip reading skills