Changing Young Lives Through Pediatric Speech Therapy

By Cornelia White


When children encounter problems expressing themselves verbally, parents naturally become concerned. Parents and caregivers are well aware of the importance of fluent oral communication in the social professional and emotional growth of the individual. This is why they do not hesitate at the first sign of trouble:they promptly seek the assistance of expert pediatric speech therapy professionals.

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.

Linguists agree that language is the result of a collaborative effort between the brain and the body parts that allow speech to occur. At times there are hindrances that disrupt the message. These are classified as psychological or mental challenges and a part of the speech therapist's job is to ensure that the patient is equipped with the skills necessary to handle the challenges they face.

Psychological barriers to verbal communication are often associated with traumatic experiences. To identify the specific trauma, the therapist may investigate the child's history to single out incidents such as violent accidents that may mark the beginning of the change. Once the situation is identified the process of restoration and therapeutic care can begin.

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.

Misshapen teeth or other structural problems in the oral cavity are typically the most obvious causes of barriers to speaking. Many times they are the result of developmental lapses that occur during the fetal stage. At other times they may be caused by physical trauma sustained in accidents or by some other violent means.

When the underlying cause is a physical one, one of the first approaches is to determine whether surgical procedures may remedy the situation. This is why these types of therapists often form close associations with surgeons who specialize in language related procedures. Therapy is still required after surgery to help the child overcome the psychological hurdle.

Language acquisition and use is not as simple as most people perceive it to be.If you are a caregiver for a child who shows signs of slow or impaired adjustment to language use, you are no doubt well aware of this fact. There is, however, one additional piece of information that you must consider. That piece of information is the fact that pediatric speech therapy is a crucial aspect of the recovery process for any child who faces a speech impediment.




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