Developmental speech therapy: what it is and when it is needed

By Cristiano Antonino On Dec 16, 2022

Speech therapy deals with all activities geared toward the reeducation of children with speech and language disorders

Speech therapy (from the Greek words λόγος, logos “speech” and παιδεία, paideia “education”) deals with the study, prevention, evaluation and treatment of:

Voice disorders;
Speech disorders;
Communication disorders;
Swallowing and oral function disorders;
Related cognitive disorders (related, for example, to memory and learning).

Speech therapy deals with speech and communication disorders, either in isolation or within more complex clinical pictures as in the case of:

Intellectual disabilities and congenital and acquired neurological diseases (such as genetic syndromes or infantile cerebral palsy);
Deafness;
Autism spectrum disorder.

These disorders can affect both the expressive side (language production) and the receptive side (language comprehension) and, in severe cases, both areas.

Among the most frequent are:

Oral function disorders (affecting sucking, swallowing and feeding even at an early age);
Language delays and disorders, (affecting articulation difficulties, disorders of phonological and grammatical organization, expressive (production) disorders of language and\or receptive (comprehension) disorders of language;
Stuttering;
Speech and singing voice disorders, (typical of voice professionals such as teachers, salespeople and singers);
Verbal dyspraxias and dysarthria (very serious and often persistent situations in which the child cannot produce sounds, words and sentences);
Socio-communicative and pragmatic disorders (in which the person fails to take context and situations into account in the social use of language);
Written communication disorders such as specific learning disorders (dyslexia, dysorthography, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia).

Best clinical practice involves a multi-disciplinary intervention, (according to the specific needs of each individual case) including a team of medical and rehabilitation professionals, according to the specific needs of each individual case, such as: the speech therapist, neuropsychiatrist, otolaryngologist, and psychologist.

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Intake involves several steps:

First, it is necessary to take an accurate history, that is, a collection of all the information that can contribute to a correct framing of the child’s communication and language skills and frailties (if any);
This is followed by an initial observation of the patient in a play situation;
If factors indicative of a delay or risk to the child’s development are detected, further investigation is proposed through a specific assessment of linguistic and communicative aspects.

If a disorder is present, an intervention project is proposed to the family that takes into account the child’s needs, preferences, and difficulties, as well as his or her potential.

Within the project is then described the treatment program in which treatment goals (short, medium and long term), timeframe, operators involved and contexts of performance (home, school, outpatient) must be specified.

The speech therapist is the professional expert in the education and reeducation of all diseases that cause disorders of voice, speech, oral and written language, and social-communication skills.

The speech therapist holds a qualifying university degree (bachelor’s degree or equivalent diploma), must be registered in the relevant Professional Register, and is required to comply with its legal and ethical regulations.

Stuttering Or Transient Developmental Dysfluency