Speech therapy
According to ASHA, it is the science that deals with the assessment, prevention and treatment of difficulties or disorders in children, adolescents and adults, and concerns communication (verbal or non-verbal), language and speech.
Speech therapy intervenes in difficulties related to:
- - Speech,such as disorder of articulation, phonology, speech impairment or dysarthria.
- - Language,that is, how well we understand what we hear or read and how we use words to express our thoughts. This includes literacy, i.e. how well we read or write, as people with language difficulties may also have difficulty with reading, spelling and writing.
- - Social communication,that is, social conventions, the extent to which we follow the "unwritten" rules, the order we take in discussion, how we modify our behavior according to the environment and the person we are facing, the whole range of pragmatics.
- - Voice,how our voice sounds, the volume and the quality of the phonation.
- - flow of speech, such as stuttering.
- Με τις Cognitive skills, how our mind works, this includes memory, attention, problem solving, organization and other thinking skills.
- - Feeding and swallowing, how well we suck, chew and swallow food. Included here is selective and problematic feeding due to sensory, muscle functional or thinking difficulties.
Speech and language therapist
The Speech and language therapist evaluates the child considering the developmental milestones, the chronological age of the child and the environment (family, school, friends, etc.). It is also important to have full information from the family about both the child's development so far and the experiences and interactions the child has received from his/her environment.
Any difficulties in these areas have a significant impact on the child's interpersonal relationships and learning performance.
Parents
The parentsperspective it is beneficial to monitor their child's development, any changes in behavior, any delay in the stages of development or difficulty in adapting from one stage to another and not to hesitate to contact specialists in time.
Early assessment and therapeutic intervention can contribute to the child's development, thus avoiding secondary consequences such as low self-esteem, fear, social isolation, learning difficulties, etc.