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.

For many children who face this condition, there is a physical reason for the problem. This is sometimes remedied through surgical procedures that range from minor to severe depending on the severity of the physical condition. Impediments such as abnormally shaped lips, teeth and oral cavity can all hinder a child's ability to use spoken language. Sometimes these conditions emerge during the fetal development. In other cases they are the result of violent force sustained during abuse or accidents.

Often, in cases where it is suspected that physical conditions hinder speech performance, the therapist will refer the patient to a facility that offers the surgical correction for evaluation. After the physical issue has been addressed, therapy may begin. This is why it is so important for surgeons and therapists to work closely together.

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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