The True Value Of Pediatric Speech Therapy

By Cornelia White


It can be heartbreaking for parent or caregiver to discover that their child or ward is facing difficulties communicating in a manner that many take for granted. Talking is such a routine activity for many people that they often fail to fathom the challenges that children face in acquiring and using a language. Pediatric speech therapy is helpful in cases where children have a hard time mastering verbal communication processes.

Therapy to enable better oral communication in children is carried out by specialists who have been trained in the field.This type of treatment often involves an exploration of the potential causes of the challenge. For the most part the causes stem from physical or emotional barriers. A good speech therapist will take this factor into consideration prior to evaluating the patient.

Language use is essentially the result of communication between the brain and the body parts responsible for speaking, namely, the mouth, throat and nose. Speech sounds in essence have their genesis in the mind since they must first be conceived before they can be articulated. It is not hard to see then, how problems in the brain can lead to language deficiencies.

Psychological triggers that lead to impaired language in children may come in a variety of forms. The patient could be reacting to a traumatic situation that has triggered a shutdown of their oral communication behaviors. Some examples of events that can cause this type of trauma are; a violent accident, witnessing a violent crime or physical or verbal abuse.

Mental or learning disabilities also affect the pace and level of language acquisition in a child. Conditions like Autism and Verbal Apraxia pose challenges to children as they try to use language. The fact that most of these disorders originate in the brain accounts for the associated language deficiencies. Speech therapists are able to help these children cope with the challenges of learning to use oral language.

The surgeons who carry out corrective work in the oral cavities of children often report that these 'barriers' to speaking are the result of developmental problems that occur while the baby is still in the womb. Sometimes though, they emerge as a result of physical trauma to the mouth, sustained through accidents or other violent force.

For physical problems that lead to speaking barriers one solution may be surgical. Whenever therapists realize this, they refer their patients to professionals who specialize in surgical remedies. After the surgery is completed therapeutic sessions will still be needed to help the child. It is clear to see therefore, why there needs to be close relationship between the therapists and the surgical medical practitioners.

All stakeholders in the development, nurturing and care of children must pay attention to one critical fact of childhood language acquisition challenges. That fact is essentially that pediatric speech therapy may be the solution you need if you are caring for a child with language use problems. It can make a world of a difference in terms of the social development of an individual.




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