3 Ways Your Child Can Benefit From Seeing A Speech Pathologist
Speech pathologists are experts whose work covers a huge swath of issues related to effective verbal communication. As a child begins to develop their communication skills, parents may discover particular struggles, difficulties, or inabilities that require a diagnosis or specialized treatment. To learn more, read below for just a few of the ways in which children can benefit from working with a speech pathologist.
Improving Articulation
Regardless of language, accent, or dialect, articulation is a feature of speech that comes naturally for many people. By extension, it is an essential component of effective communication. Children who find it hard to articulate a certain sound or series of sounds may find that they are often misunderstood, or may be embarrassed at their inability to copy the sounds others seem to make with ease. Fortunately, a speech pathologist can help a child overcome these hurdles with a variety of sustained exercises and activities. As soon as you notice your child having clear trouble articulating a sound, contact a trusted speech therapist in your area to set up a consultation.
Preventing Stuttering
Stuttering is a common problem that affects a person's ability to speak with true fluency. It can take the form of repetition or prolongation of sounds, and may seem like a permanent impediment. Yet there are a number of effective methods that children and their parents can begin to practice with a speech pathologist in order to prevent stuttering. Many of these revolve around slowing down speech, being more aware of what leads to specific instances of stuttering, and getting rid of roadblocks to fluency that may be primarily psychological.
Building Receptive Skills
One of the most common myths about speech pathologists is that they focus solely on verbal production. One of their main roles, however, centers on improving receptive skills. These skills involve the ability of a person to process and comprehend information that is communicated through language — reading and listening are two broad categorical examples. If you notice that your child has difficulty following instructions, for example, it may not have anything to do with a desire to disobey. Instead, it may be because they are not able to fully grasp the language used in commands or requests. This is just one reason to seriously consider scheduling a visit to a speech pathologist. They can use evidence-based practices to help children identify meaning, retain vocabulary, and ultimately follow directions in a more concrete way.
Speak to a speech pathologist at a service such as Eastern Carolina ENT Head & Neck Surgery to find out more.
Share