Pediatric Speech Therapy
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| Speech and language are two different, yet linked,
skills that humans use to communicate. Language is the ability to
understand spoken and written words (receptive language) and to
express meaning through words (expressive language). Speech is
producing sounds that make up words. Mild delays in speech and
language development are common among children and may be temporary.
These delays may occur when the functions of the brain
required for speech and language mature at a slower than normal rate
or when a child is raised in a bilingual home. Sometimes, speech and
language delays are symptoms of more serious problems, such as
autism, mental retardation, or cerebral palsy. Speech Language disorders can fall into several categories, depending on the underlying cause of the problem: - Apraxia: is a disorder of brain function characterized by the inability to perform learned movements on command, even though the command is understood and there is a willingness to perform the movement. - Dysphagia: children with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing and may also experience pain while swallowing. Eating then becomes a challenge. Often, the result of dysphagia makes it difficult to take in enough calories and fluids to nourish the body. - Aphasia: is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others, most people with aphasia experience difficulty reading and writing. - Stuttering: or stammering is a speech disorder characterized by repeating the first sound of a word, such as “p-p-p-p-puppy”, saying a letter sound for a long time, such as “sssssssoap”, or speaking in choppy sentences, making many distracting facial movements during speech, or doing meaningless things with arms and legs (such as tapping fingers or slapping a leg) while talking There are many tests to measure speech and language development in children. If a delay is found, speech-language therapy usually is recommended. In addition, speech-language pathologists also work with children who have feeding, swallowing or other oral motor problems. Good feeding and swallowing skills increase a child’s ability to receive adequate nutrition and hydration for good growth and development. In addition, these skills help prevent a child from having pneumonia due to poor swallowing skills.
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