What techniques do speech and language therapists use?

Speech and language disorders appear as an impediment to the communication of the child and even adults. We all know the significance of communication in our life. Such disorders can also make the child feel more modest, less confident, and may influence mental well-being.  Speech and language therapy focuses on developing the speech, ability to recognize speech, and conquering the hurdles such as disfluency, articulation, and voice or phonological disorders. It facilitates children to articulate their thoughts and feelings better over verbal or nonverbal language.

Speech-language pathologists effort to evaluate, diagnose, prevent and treat speech-language disorders. Speech and language therapists work with children to manage an assortment of speech and language disorders varying from mild articulation setbacks to complicated disorders such as motor speech disorders, autism, hearing impairment, Down syndrome, and developmental delays. Speech and language therapy involves multiple activities and techniques which help with speech, communication, and talking. Some speech therapy professionals advise occupational therapy along with speech therapy as it can present more productive outcomes.

Here are some common speech therapy techniques and activities, your speech-language therapist uses with your child:

Sensory Feedback

Sensory feedback is a critical speech therapy technique applied to build speech skills. It helps the child become more mindful of the sounds, he is creating and how he generates those sounds.  For example, your therapist may make use of an auditory feedback method. She will record a sample of the child’s utterances and play the audio. Then she will also play the recording with the same vocalization, with accurately created sounds to make the child realize the difference. Similarly, the therapist may also use visual feedback to help the child observe himself making sounds. These techniques help involve children with sounds and speech.

Articulation speech activities

Articulation refers to the natural skill to move lips, tongue, palate, and jaw to make individual speech sounds. If the articulation abilities of a child are conceded for any sense, his clearness may decline as compared to other same-age children. Articulation activities help the child speak certain sounds.  The therapist will clearly say a word and ask the youngster to recite it. This activity will be repeated multiple times to develop the practice of the child. Therapists work with the child to understand how to generate certain sound models or speech sounds, having trouble with. It helps raise the overall speech fluency of the child.

Oral motor therapy techniques

Some speech disorders are described by poor handling of oral motor muscles. It does not just affect speech but also the feeding and swallowing capabilities of the sufferer. Oral motor activities combined with facial massage can increase muscle tone. The speech-language therapist may also bring in various qualities of food and temperatures to boost oral awareness.  This speech-language therapy normally highlights activities that couple sounds with actions of mouth and lips. For example, the child may be requested to carefully notice the activities of lips when he produces “oh” or “sh” sounds.

Mirror exercises

Mirror exercises engage the child and encourage speech creation through observing the mouth and lip movements. It’s also a visual feedback method. Most children having articulation difficulties are unconscious about how to properly move their mouth, lips, and tongue to form accurate sounds. Speaking in front of the mirror helps the children observe their mouth movements when generating a particular sound. Produce the sounds, including major mouth movements, and help the child distinguish the difference by looking into the mirror.

Language intervention

Speech-language disorders not only influence the skill to articulate evidently but also the ability to communicate and understand language correctly. Some children have a problem laying their ideas into words, telling a story, or giving or following directions. Speech and language therapy encourages language procurement by utilizing role-playing games, books, and similar speech therapy exercises. These techniques help the child develop complete sentences, obtain new vocabulary or tell a story.

Expressive techniques

Some kids with speech-language disorders find it tricky to communicate a message or convey themselves through words and sentences.   They may also strive to structure words in a sentence, illustrate incidents and use grammar correctly. The expressive language technique intends to work on such matters by way of signs, pictorials, and written forms assisting children to express themselves suitably.

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapy combined with speech-language therapy techniques is a significant way to enhance the child’s communication, independence, and life quality. It facilitates various facets of the child's improvement which are precisely linked with speech and communication. For example, occupational therapists work with children on their awareness and regulation, helping them improve focus and participate with speech and language. They also target postural solidity such as jaw constancy that is important for speech production. Occupational therapy also acts on sensory incorporation that impacts feeding and oral motor skills. They also support handwriting skills required for written language.  Occupational therapy promotes executive functional abilities which help the child plan, coordinate and structure their ideas and thoughts in a sensible way to improve communicative language and general communication.

 

These are the techniques and exercises used by speech and language therapists during a speech-language therapy session. Speech-language therapy can treat and prevent a large spectrum of speech and language delays and disorders. Early involvement and regular follow-ups can improve communication and boost self-confidence. You can also ask for speech and language therapy techniques to do at home for superior language intervention. Parental participation is significant for the better growth of the child and better results of speech and language therapy