What is Speech Therapy?

If you are a parent of a child who has been recommended to have Speech Therapy or you a teacher of a student who needs more support with their communication skills, here is everything you need to know to become familiar with Speech Therapy.

Speech Therapy aims to support children with their communication skills. This involves working on listening, understanding language, using language to express themselves, speaking skills and writing skills. It can also involve working on communication using a device such as an ipad, picture exchange and sign language.

              Who will benefit from Speech Therapy? 
              If your child or student has any of the below, they would likely benefit from Speech Therapy:

• Is delayed in their receptive language skills (understanding language). For example, has difficulty understanding age-appropriate concepts, vocabulary, instructions and questions. 
• Is delayed in their expressive language skills (using language). For example, your child is not speaking yet, or is speaking considerably less than what is expected for their age. 
• Stutters (repeats syllables, words, phrases), where this interferes with their ability to be understood, or takes away from the message which they are trying to communicate. 
• Struggles with social communication skills. For example, their body is constantly out of the group, they have difficulty with turn-taking, say inappropriate things in context, etc. 
• Has difficulty being understood by others or has unclear speech. For example, they substitute sounds, leave sounds out of words, add sounds to words, inconsistent ways of saying sounds and are difficult to understand by unfamiliar listeners.
• Has motor-speech difficulties, which is the difficulty coordinating the brain with muscles of the mouth for speaking, speech is often inconsistent and hard to understand. Sometimes a child cannot speak at all. 
• Has feeding difficulties. For example, keeping lips closed or swallowing. Also, they may be a picky eater and have a strong avoidance of certain textures.
• Has their tongue outside their mouth when breathing, eating or speaking 
• Loses their voice often or has a voice which draws attention to itself 
  
  How does a Speech Therapy work? 

             Speech Therapy is done by a Speech Therapist, who has studied Speech and Language                        
             Pathology  in University, at a Bachelor, Masters or PhD level. Speech Therapists usually follow                   this process below.

1.  The Speech Therapist will collect information about the child by speaking with parents and teachers, or through a questionnaire. The Speech Therapist will then meet the child to evaluate their communication skills.
2. Based on the evaluation findings and parent priorities, the Speech Therapist will formulate goals for the child to work on.
3. The child works on their goals in consistent Speech Therapy sessions and the Speech Therapist collects data each session to track goal progress.
4. The Speech Therapist reports on the child's progress to parents. They may either adjust their plan moving forward or dismiss the child from Speech Therapy if they meet their goals and there are no further areas to work on. 
   
   
   What approaches and techniques are used?
   Speech Therapists use a variety of techniques  from evidence-based approached. This depends on the child's areas of need, as well as, their specific training and specialty area. Here are some approaches below.

• Play-based Approaches, such as, Hanen or Floortime. These involve drawing the child into the social world to let them see the value in communicating. They are child-lead approaches and involve following the child's interests. The role of the Speech Therapist is not to instruct, but to be a play partner, while stimulating language. These approaches are suitable for children who are below 5 years who have a language delay or children who have Autism.
• Social Thinking: teaching children to think about social situations, so that they become independent problem solvers in social situations. Instead of just teaching children rules (e.g. "no touching others"), with this approach, children are presented with and encouraged to think about different social situations (personal space and the impacts on others' thoughts and feelings when we invade it), to develop a deeper understanding of social situations. 
• PROMPT: for children who have motor-speech disorders. This involves applying light touch and pressure to a child’s face, to support them with making sounds in words. The tactile prompts cue their muscles to contract for certain sounds.  
• Articulation hierarchy: this involves a step-by-step process to teaching children to say sounds correctly. The steps often involve: auditory discrimination, isolation, CV, words, phrases, sentences, reading, story retell, narrative, conversation.
• OroMyofunctional Therapy: involves exercises for correcting tongue placement in the mouth when speaking, eating and breathing. For example, using an elastic band and raising it to a point at the top of the mouth repeatedly. 
• SOS Feeding Approach: involves a systematic desensitization to food textures. For example, having the child tolerate food on the table, then their plate, then on their lips, then a bite and spit it out and finally swallow a bite. 
• Range of activities for pre school and school aged language stimulation. For example, sorting objects into categories, practicing following instructions of increased length and complexity, formulating sentences, writing a narrative, reading comprehension, etc.
  
  What is my role as a parent in Speech Therapy? Parents are encouraged to take an active role in Speech Therapy, after all, you know your child best.
• Your role may be to identify that your child is not meeting milestones, or perhaps they do not have the same level communication skills as other children their age. 
• To arrange an evaluation with a Speech Therapist, also, express your concerns and observations
• Express your priority communication areas you would like your child to work on or goals you wish for your child
• Either attend the Speech Therapy sessions or be involved with follow up about these skills with your child between their sessions 

             
             What is the role of a teacher? Teachers spend a considerable amount of time with students,                       they often know their students well and bring important information to the Speech Therapy                       process. 

• Your role may be to identify that your student is not meeting milestones, or perhaps they do not have the same level communication skills as their peers.
• To express your concerns and observations to the student's parents and discuss referring the student for a Speech Screening. The purpose of this is to determine whether or not Speech Therapy is required. 
• Collaborate with the Speech Therapist who is working with your student and follow up about these skills with your child between their sessions ​

As a parent or teacher, there are many things which you can do to support a child with their communication skills. The first step, is identifying that further support may be needed. Speech Therapists can lead the path, however, your role is invaluable in the process too. 

Speak soon,
Expat Speechie