Changing Young Lives Through Pediatric Speech Therapy

By Cornelia White


When children encounter problems expressing themselves verbally, parents naturally become concerned. Parents and caregivers are well aware of the importance of fluent oral communication in the social professional and emotional growth of the individual. This is why they do not hesitate at the first sign of trouble:they promptly seek the assistance of expert pediatric speech therapy professionals.

The first step in the treatment process is discovering the root cause of the impediment. This is the first step that a trained and experienced juvenile therapist will take in addressing the child's speech-related issues. The therapist may do this by interviewing the parents or guardians and the child being treated.The factors that cause reticence in children are usually either physical or psychological.

Language use is essentially the result of communication between the brain and the body parts responsible for speaking, namely, the mouth, throat and nose. Speech sounds in essence have their genesis in the mind since they must first be conceived before they can be articulated. It is not hard to see then, how problems in the brain can lead to language deficiencies.

Psychological barriers to verbal communication are often associated with traumatic experiences. To identify the specific trauma, the therapist may investigate the child's history to single out incidents such as violent accidents that may mark the beginning of the change. Once the situation is identified the process of restoration and therapeutic care can begin.

For some children, a learning or mental disability is the cause of the language barrier being experienced. Some of these conditions include, Autism and Verbal Apraxia. Experts agree that therapeutic care can work wonders for such children by helping them to bridge the gap between their thoughts and their utterances.

Misshapen teeth or other structural problems in the oral cavity are typically the most obvious causes of barriers to speaking. Many times they are the result of developmental lapses that occur during the fetal stage. At other times they may be caused by physical trauma sustained in accidents or by some other violent means.

When the underlying cause is a physical one, one of the first approaches is to determine whether surgical procedures may remedy the situation. This is why these types of therapists often form close associations with surgeons who specialize in language related procedures. Therapy is still required after surgery to help the child overcome the psychological hurdle.

Language acquisition and use is by no means the simple effortless process that many perceive it to be. Parents and care givers of children who display signs of challenges with language use ought to be aware of one critical fact. Pediatric speech therapy can make a remarkable difference in the life of a child who struggles with oral communication.




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