Speech therapy is the assessment and treatment of communication problems, cognitive challenges and speech disorders. It is performed by Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) who are often referred to as speech therapists or speech pathologists.
Treatment aims to improve communication and the approach is tailored to the individual client. We work together to determine the client's specific needs and goals. A customized treatment plan that addresses all aspects of communication in the client's daily life guides the treatment sessions.
Speech therapy techniques are evidence based, meaning that there is scientific research supporting their effectiveness. Types of therapy include articulation therapy, language intervention activities, and others depending on the type of speech or language disorder. SLPs provide a broad range of therapies because they treat so many different disorders. Some examples of treatment goals include:
- improving breath support
- learning how to form sounds
- speaking clearly and easily
- increasing the number of words a client can say and/or understand
- implementing conversation strategies to improve social communication
- improving the way people put words together in sentences
- enhancing problem solving, memory, and organization to improve cognitive communication skills
- learning augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems (for people who have severe speech or language disorders)
- learning how to use strategies to manage communication difficulties
