Some kids have trouble saying certain sounds or words. This can
be frustrating because others may have trouble understanding what
they're trying to say. The good news is that there's a
special kind of therapist that can help kids get better at
speaking.
When you have a
cold
or your
stomach
hurts, your mom or dad takes you to the doctor, right? If a kid has
trouble saying certain sounds or trouble understanding others, he
or she would see a
speech-language pathologist
(say: puh-
thah
-luh-jist).
What Do Speech Therapists Help With?
Also called speech therapists, they help people of all ages with
different speech and language disorders. Here are some of them:
-
articulation
(say: ar-tih-kyuh-
lay
-shun)
disorders:
If a kid has trouble saying certain sounds or saying words
correctly, it's called an articulation disorder.
"Run" might come out as "won." Or
"say" may sound like "thay." Lisps are
considered articulation disorders.
-
fluency
(say:
floo-
en-see)
disorders:
If a kid repeats certain sounds and has trouble saying the
complete word, he or she may have fluency disorder. For example,
a kid trying to say "story" might get stuck on the
"st" and say "st-st-st-story." Or he or she
might draw out certain sounds and say "ssssssstory." A
stutter is a fluency disorder.
-
resonance
(say:
reh-
zun-unts) or
voice disorders:
A kid might have a voice disorder if people have trouble
understanding him or her. The kids might start a sentence loud
and clear, but it's quiet and mumbling by the end. Sometimes
these kids sound like they have a cold or like they're
talking through their noses.
-
language disorders:
A kid who has trouble understanding people or has trouble putting
words together to express thoughts might have a language
disorder.
Who Needs Speech Therapy?
Lots of kids see speech therapists. It's a great way to
learn to speak more clearly. Sometimes a kid has a medical
condition that makes speaking more difficult. Here are some of
them:
What's It Like?
A kid visiting a speech therapist for the first time will take a
speaking test. Don't worry, it's not like a test in school
that's going to affect your report card. This test is a way of
finding out what types of speech problems a kid has. The kid will
be asked to say certain sounds and words. These may be recorded and
the therapist might write some stuff down during the test. The test
will help the therapist figure out the kid's needs and decide
what treatments are needed.
The "treatment" for speech problems is practice. If a
kid has trouble with articulation or fluency, the therapist will
spend time showing him or her how to make the proper sounds. The
therapist will demonstrate the sounds and ask the kid to try to
copy them. That means copying the way the therapist moves the lips,
mouth, and
tongue
to make the right sound.
Mirrors can be helpful here. The therapist might ask the kid to
make these sounds while watching himself or herself in the mirror.
Some therapists use games to make this practice more fun.
If your therapist is helping you with a language disorder, your
sessions may seem a little like school. He or she will help you
with grammar - how to put words together properly to form clear
statements and thoughts. If you have difficulties with
understanding what you hear, you may play games that work on these
skills, such as Simon Says.
How Long Will the Treatment Last?
Some treatments are short and others are longer. It depends on
the problem the kid is working on. A kid might see the therapist
once a week or a few times a week. Treatment can take a few weeks,
a few months, or a few years.
If you have speech problem, the best advice is to practice,
practice, practice. Find time to work on the skills the therapist
has shown you. Maybe spend some time before bed practicing in the
mirror. Ask your parent to work with you. Just like practicing your
foul shot or memorizing your multiplication tables, hard work pays
off!
Reviewed by:
Amy Nelson, MA, CCC-SLP
Date reviewed: October 2008
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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