Speech therapy for children, also known as pediatric speech-language therapy or speech-language pathology, is a specialized field of healthcare aimed at diagnosing and treating communication disorders and speech-language delays in children.
It is a comprehensive approach that involves working with children who experience difficulties in speech production, language comprehension and expression, fluency, voice, and swallowing.
At our centers in Bangalore and Hyderabad, our highly-trained speech therapists play a crucial role in helping children develop effective communication skills and overcome barriers to successful communication.
Goals of Speech Therapy For Children
The primary goal of speech therapy for children is to improve the child’s ability to communicate effectively and participate in daily activities, social interactions, and academic settings. Plexus’ speech therapists assess and address a wide range of communication disorders, including:
- Articulation Disorders: These involve difficulties producing speech sounds correctly due to issues with the tongue, lips, palate, or jaw movements. Through articulation therapy the therapist assists the child with specific sounds that they have trouble pronouncing. This usually takes the form of speech therapy exercises to move the tongue in ways that create those specific sounds.
- Language Disorders: Language disorders encompass difficulties with understanding and using spoken or written language. This may include problems with vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, comprehension, or expressive language skills. Through activities like play-based therapy, picture cards, or reading books aloud, the therapist will help the child with their language skills and provide necessary feedback.
- Voice Disorders: Voice disorders refer to abnormalities in pitch, volume, quality, or resonance of the voice. Speech therapy addresses voice disorders by teaching proper vocal techniques, vocal hygiene practices, and strategies to reduce vocal strain or fatigue.
- Fluency Disorders: Fluency disorders, such as stuttering or cluttering, involve disruptions in the smooth flow of speech. Speech therapists employ techniques to enhance fluency, reduce disfluencies, and improve overall speech rhythm and rate.
- Swallowing Disorders: Post swallowing assessments, our speech therapists design interventions to improve swallowing function, prevent aspiration, and lower the risk of choking and/or respiratory complications.
When Does a Child Need Speech Therapy?
Children with speech and language delays or disorders may benefit from early intervention and speech therapy. Trouble with articulating word sounds, stuttering or cluttering, resonance disorders owing to obstruction in the oral or nasal cavities, receptive and/or expressive language disorder, aphasia, dysarthria, and cognitive-communication disorders are all signs that intervention in the form of speech therapy exercises is necessary.
Read more about when to start speech therapy for your little one here.
How Does Speech Therapy Work For Children?
During the course of speech therapy treatment at Plexus, the therapist will work with the child through one-on-one exercises or group interactions to target their specific speech disorder. There are various speech therapy techniques available to treat expressive and receptive language problems, articulation problems, pragmatic language problems (where the child struggles to use language in socially appropriate ways), and others. A course of speech therapy treatment often includes the following:
What do speech therapists do?
Speech therapists are qualified to provide various types of speech therapy for children, in order to help them overcome speaking disorders. They can also help with written language and auditory processing issues.
In the first session, our speech therapist will understand the exact nature of the child’s speech and language problem, whether it relates to articulation, fluency, resonance, or oral feeding issues. Through a combination of tailored speech therapy exercises, they are then able to significantly improve the child’s communication abilities.
How long does speech therapy take?
This depends on the child’s age, the severity of their speech disorder, and the nature and severity of the underlying condition that is causing the speech disorder. While some conditions improve as the child grows older, others require life-long intervention and maintenance.
The speech therapist will typically provide parents/caregivers with tips and strategies to help reinforce the lessons from your child’s speech therapy treatment at home. In this context, it is also essential to ensure that your child and their therapist are a good match, so that they can start seeing Speech Therapy results early on.
Benefits of speech therapy for children
Speech therapy offers a wide range of benefits for children experiencing speech and language difficulties. Some of the key advantages include:
- Improved communication
- Enhanced social skills
- Increased academic success
- Boosted confidence and self-esteem
Speech Therapy For Toddlers
Speech therapy for toddlers focuses on early intervention and developmental milestones to support optimal speech and language development during the critical early years. Our speech therapists use a play-based approach and age-appropriate activities to engage toddlers in speech and language learning, targeting key areas such as:
- Speech sound development
- Vocabulary building
- Early language skills
- Social communication
- Pre-literacy skills (book handling, story listening, rhyming, and letter recognition, to lay the foundation for later reading and writing abilities)
Speech Therapy Techniques For Toddlers
Speech therapy techniques for toddlers are designed to be engaging, interactive, and age-appropriate to facilitate optimal learning and development. Some effective speech therapy techniques for toddlers include:
- Play-Based Therapy: These target speech and language goals, such as naming objects, following directions, and imitating sounds or words.
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): This is a visual communication system that uses pictures or symbols to help little ones express their wants, needs, and desires, fostering early communication skills.
- Modeling and Imitation: This technique uses target sounds, words, or phrases for toddlers to imitate, helping them learn new vocabulary and speech patterns through repetition and reinforcement.
- Storytelling and Book Sharing: This helps promote language development, vocabulary expansion, and listening comprehension skills in toddlers.
- Sensory-Motor Activities: These include fun activities like blowing bubbles, playing with sensory bins, or using tactile materials, which can help stimulate speech and language development in toddlers.
Speech Therapy Exercises For Children
Plexus’ speech therapists use the following materials and/or exercises:
- Flash cards: These help children remember and practice sounds that they have trouble with.
- Mirror exercises: The therapist may make your child stand in front of a mirror and help them pronounce each word very slowly and carefully. This is done so that your child will be aware of what the mouth is supposed to look like while uttering a particular word.
- Oromotor exercises: These help in improving articulation and swallowing skills.
Speech Therapy Tips For Parents
Apart from speech therapy for kids provided by trained professionals, parents play a critical role in reinforcing those lessons and creating a pleasant learning environment at home. Here are some speech therapy tips for parents:
- Focus on your child’s abilities. It is important to praise your child and the improvements they are demonstrating over the course of their speech therapy treatment
- Keep background noises to a minimum while your child is studying or practicing their speech therapy exercises
- Be patient with your child while conversing, and give them enough time to articulate what they want to say
- Practice those sound articulations that your child may be having trouble with, like ‘f’ or ‘sh’, in the form of single syllables
- Encourage your child to use straws while drinking to develop muscular strength in the mouth that will help with clearer speech
- Read a favorite book out loud to your child and encourage them to read bits of it back to you or explain what they understood about the story, if they are too young to read
Speech Therapy Results From Plexus
At Plexus Neuro and Stem Cell Research Center, our trained therapists work with children to ensure that they get the best possible Speech Therapy treatment. We pay attention to the smallest of details and take utmost care to ensure that your child is benefitting from the Speech Therapy exercises and speaking more confidently with each session. We have worked with children who have conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Ataxia Telangiectasia, and have successfully helped them to speak and even sing with a smile thanks to our Speech Therapy exercises.
To know more about speech therapy for children at Plexus, please reach out to Team Plexus today.
WhatsApp +91 89048 42087
Call +91 78159 64668 (Hyderabad) | +91 82299 99888 (Bangalore)
FAQs
How is speech therapy done for kids?
Speech therapists develop individualized treatment plans tailored to the child’s specific needs and goals. Therapy sessions may involve a variety of activities, exercises, games, and techniques to target speech and language goals and promote skill development in a fun and engaging manner.
How do I know if my child needs speech therapy?
If your child demonstrates difficulty with speech sounds, language comprehension or expression, fluency, voice quality, or swallowing, they may benefit from speech therapy. Other signs include:
- Limited vocabulary
- Difficulty following instructions
- Trouble interacting with peers
- Persistent stuttering
- Hoarse voice
- Frequent choking or gagging during meals
How long is speech therapy treatment?
This varies depending on the child’s individual needs, the severity of the speech or language disorder, and the specific goals of therapy. Our speech therapists will work with the child and family to determine the appropriate duration of treatment and monitor progress over time.
