True Facts About Speech Pathology

Children are probably the most beautiful of human beings that walk this earth. The beauty and innocence of a child transcends race, religion and ethnicity. So when a child is born with a disability it really is heart wrenching; for the parents, for all those who love life and human spirit. But not all problems are beyond the realm of help. In fact, for a good number of problems, the earlier a child begins to receive care and treatment, the better are the chances of having a perfectly normal life.

Speech disorders are becoming common among children. According to the latest research findings, only 5%-10% of the total population has a normal manner of speaking. All other suffer from one speech disorder or the other. Common examples of speech disorders are stuttering, cluttering, speech sound disorders which include both articulation disorders and phonemic disorders and voice disorders. Although there are a great many other speech disorders, but these are among the most common. These are also those which can be easily helped with timely treatment and therapy.

Coming back to the topic of children, a recent study showed that during the year 2000-2001, 700,000 thousand students who were placed in special education plans in public schools had speech impairment. For these children, one of the best supports that medical science has afforded is ‘speech pathology'. Speech pathology is the study of disorders that affect a person's speech, language, cognition, voice, swallowing and the rehabilitative or corrective treatment of physical and/or cognitive deficits/disorders resulting in difficulty with communication and/or swallowing.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) help individuals, including children, to cope with and overcome their speech disorders. They also help families communicate with the children through both verbal and non-verbal methods. In addition to the physical treatment that the child will receive, speech pathologists also help the children with the psychological aspects of their disorder. Since speech pathologists are now on board at many special education programs in public schools, the awareness regarding the disorder is spreading. What this means is that your child will be able to move comfortably in the social circle without feeling like an outcast or developing low self-esteem. One of the most difficult issues that a child faces while growing up is conformation. But with professional support that gently leads the child towards better adjustability, you can well imagine the degree of independence such a child would achieve.

If you have a child who is born with or struggling in with speech disorder, going to a speech pathologist should be your number one priority. As mentioned earlier, there are special education programs in most public schools which provide a range of assistance to children with speech disorders. Opting for these is a better choice than a private therapist, because your child will deal with the disorder in the familiar school surrounding. In the event that the disorder is particularly severe, you may visit a private clinic. Private clinics and therapists are now more easily available as more and more individuals are entering this much needed line of work. Remember that the earlier you focus on solving the problem, the better chance your child will have of having a normal life.

• John Palsson
• 08/12/2008, 10:59 PM
• 0 Comments