Speech therapists and highly trained medical specialists who work alongside and within the medical system to treat specific medical issues. So, how do speech therapists help their patients?
What are Speech Therapists
To answer that question, it is first important to establish exactly what a speech therapist is. Speech and Language Therapists are medical professionals who have been trained specifically to help provide treatment and support for children and adults with communication difficulties. On top of communication difficulties, speech therapists also help to treat issues with eating, drinking, and swallowing.
They Treat a Variety of Patients
Speech therapists work with both child and adult patients and offer a variety of different kinds of support depending on whom they are treating. Often, speech therapists with further specialize in the care of a single kind of patient, and sometimes further still into a specific set of problems with a specific kind of patient.
Treating Children. When treating children, speech therapists assist with different conditions than they might with an adult. This includes but is not limited to learning difficulties, language delay, difficulties in producing specific sounds, hearing impairment, voice disorders, and selective mutism. Further, children will present their issues very differently to adults, and as such, they will need to be considered differently.
Treating Adults. Similarly, treating adults comes with a range of conditions and needs their own specialist knowledge to properly treat. This is why pursuing further specialization is sometimes in the best interest of speech therapists, as they don’t have to remember adult vs. child presentations of certain issues.
Common Issues they Help with
Finally, although there are many, many issues that speech therapists have to deal with on a daily basis, there are certain problems that they have to deal with commonly. A handful of these are outlined below.
Issues with Speech. One of the main things that you probably think of when you hear speech therapist is their work in helping both children and adults to speak properly and fully pronounce the sounds they are attempting to make.
Swallowing Issues. Another area that you might not have even considered falling into the realm of speech therapy is swallowing issues. Dysphagia and other conditions can be serious if not dealt with properly, and since speech therapists primarily work with the mouth and how to use it properly, they are often the most qualified to deal with such issues. Whether they suggest the use of thickeners, like Simply Thick beverage thickener, or use exercises and coaching to help their patient. They often know the best approach toward recovery.
Hearing Impairments. A large aspect of language production comes hand in hand with our ability to hear what is being said to us, which is why so many people with hearing problems have speech problems. This is why it is vital that speech therapists are able to assist with both hearing impairment and speech issues. By combining treatment for both of these issues, speech therapists are able to greatly improve the quality of communication that their patients can experience.
Learning Difficulties. Lastly, speech therapists are also often responsible for helping their patients cope with learning difficulties, as often those with learning difficulties have more trouble learning to speak properly. This means that by helping with learning difficulties, speech therapists may actually be able to assist with speech too.