Speech & Hearing

Speech therapy is the assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders.

Speech therapy techniques are used to improve communication. These include articulation therapy, language intervention activities, and others depending on the type of speech or language disorder.

Speech therapy may be needed for speech disorders that develop in childhood or speech impairments in adults caused by an injury or illness, such as stroke or brain injury.

Speech Therapy for Children

For your child, Speech Therapy may take place in a classroom or small group, or one-on-one, depending on the speech disorder. Speech therapy exercises and activities vary depending on your child’s disorder, age, and needs. During speech therapy for children, the SLP (speech-language pathologist) may:

• interact through talking and playing, and using books, pictures other objects as part of language intervention to help stimulate language development
• model correct sounds and syllables for a child during age-appropriate play to teach the child how to make certain sounds
• provide strategies and homework for the child and parent or caregiver on how to do speech therapy at home

How long do you need speech therapy?

The amount of time a person needs speech therapy depends on a few factors, including:

• their age
• type and severity of the speech disorder
• frequency of therapy
• underlying medical condition
• treatment of an underlying medical condition