Role of a pediatric speech therapist

Children who have trouble speaking such as stammering, producing sounds, and constructing sentences, are treated by speech therapists. Speech therapists work within a wide range of settings including public health centres, hospitals, special needs schools, skilled nursing facilities, and even on virtual platforms.

Goals of a pediatric speech therapist

The goals of a pediatric speech therapist are to facilitate communication, improve verbal and non-verbal skills and enhance social skills in children and teens. This may involve working with children who have speech problems related to dyslexia or developmental delays. It may also involve helping children learn to speak more fluently or develop their vocabulary.

The child’s needs are assessed, and appropriate interventions are designed for their specific needs. For example, some children may need to learn how to use sign language or other techniques if they have trouble speaking. Others may need help with reading, writing or spelling. Speech pathologists also work with children on developing their language skills and expanding their vocabulary by teaching them new words.

Early intervention

A speech and hearing camp was held by the all India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore as a yearly National Service Scheme (NSS) program in Gujarat. In a survey of almost 30,000 people, it was discovered that 4.09% of the population had a communication issue. It is therefore advisable to get therapy as soon as your child displays any indications of a speech or language difficulty.

At the time of selecting a speech therapist, make sure you enquire about the background of the speech therapist. Make sure they have years of experience, a professional degree, and a specialty in this area. Ask them about the process and length of the session, the costs involved, and how you can help the kid grow as well. Select a therapist you believe will be a good fit for you and your family. Before selecting a therapist, understanding their roles and responsibilities can go a long way in ensuring your child receives the best possible treatment.

Role Of a Speech Therapist

1.     Examining and evaluating the speech disorder

There are several kinds of speech and language problems. A speech therapist's first responsibility is to assess the child's speech disorder and identify its kind and severity. Your child's communication abilities are assessed using standardized exams, observational scales, and parental feedback. These evaluations are carried out to determine the child's oral motor abilities, vocabulary, proficiency, and phonological awareness.

2.     Recommending possible treatments

Your speech therapist will begin developing a strategy and researching treatment alternatives as soon as your speech issue is identified. Treatments sometimes include articulation exercises in addition to addressing underlying issues that may be the root of the issues. For children with hearing issues, therapists may also offer auditory habilitation & auditory rehabilitation in addition to other speech therapy strategies. In addition, they also help families understand the importance of early intervention in the development of effective communication skills.

3.     Executing programs to correct speech disorders

 Based on the child's base level of development in terms of speech and language abilities as well as mental and physical growth, the program is carried out. Speech is instinctive and largely automatic, so each level of speech treatment is a little bit more challenging than the last, which helps your kid lay the groundwork for communication in the future. Speech therapy is all about practice and patience. Every child has their own unique journey in overcoming their disorders, some start to show results in a week and some in months.

4.     Providing speech therapy exercises for parents to try at home

Kids connect with their speech therapists roughly once a week for 1 or 2 hours (depending on the treatment strategy) but they stay with their parents 24hrs every day. It is the role of the speech therapist to tell the parents about effective speech and language therapy exercises to try at home like playing games, communicating clearly, reading books, singing songs.

5.     Monitor and Follow up with the patient

Speech therapists monitor and provide feedback to parents about their children's progress using an information sheet called an individualized educational plan (IEP).  A good speech therapist would constantly ask for feedback from the parents. Once the goals of therapy have been met, the therapist starts to terminate therapy

Conclusion

Speech disorders are a common condition in children with an estimated 2-3% of all school-aged children suffering from it. They can affect the child's ability to communicate, both verbally and non-verbally. The goal of speech therapy is to improve your child’s ability to communicate effectively. Speech therapists help children use language in the most effective way possible.

At Hopscotch Child Therapy, the Speech therapists work one-on-one with children to identify and treat any problems that may be affecting their ability to speak or understand others. They also work closely with parents and caregivers of children who have speech disorders or are at risk of developing one.

We constantly strive to provide high-quality, effective, evidence-based mental health and therapeutic services. Our consultants work side-by-side to create a service that puts children at the heart of it and fosters their emerging developmental competencies. We believe that no child should be deprived of professional therapy just because of geographical barriers or cost involved. click here to scroll through our therapists and book a session today.

References

https://www.speechtherapyct.com/whats_new/THE%20ROLE%20OF%20A%20SPEECH-LANGUAGE%20PATHOLOGIST.pdf

https://vikaspedia.in/health/mental-health/autism-1/role-of-speech-therapy-1#:~:text=Speech%20therapist%20or%20speech%2Dlanguage,for%20children%20with%20special%20needs.

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Role_of_Speech_and_Language_Therapist_in_a_Rehabilitation_Team

August 24, 2022