Some children have trouble articulating or saying certain words or sounds. This can be very frustrating for the kids because it means that other people often find it difficult to understand what the child is saying. Fortunately, there are ways to help children with speech disorders. Speech therapy can help kids who have trouble with certain sounds or with understanding others. Speech therapists are trained to work with children of different ages who have different language and speech disorders.
Articulation disorders
This is a type of disorder where the child has difficulty saying certain sounds or pronouncing words correctly. Some of the most common articulation disorders are lisps that affect many children. While in some cases they are not serious and the child improves with age, for some therapy is necessary. Children with this problem find it difficult to socialize with other kids due to the communication barrier.
Fluency disorders
If your child often repeats certain sounds or has difficulty completing some words, this may be a sign of a fluency disorder. Kids with this condition may find it difficult to complete a word and they often get stuck at certain points when telling a story. This can be very frustrating for a child and it leads to withdrawal. Another symptom may be the child drawing out certain sounds when trying to pronounce a word. A stutter is one common fluency disorder that often affects people of all ages.
Resonance disorders
Kids starting a sentence loudly before mumbling and going quiet towards the end characterize resonance or voice disorders. In this case, people find it difficult to understand the child because they do not hear part of the sentence. In some cases, children with this disorder sound like they are talking through their nose or like they have a cold.
The need for speech therapy
Kids who have different articulation and language disorders can benefit from speech therapy. The therapy can also help kids who have trouble understanding other people or putting words together. They find it difficult to express their thoughts and they usually find it difficult to learn. Many children see speech therapists that can help them to learn how to speak more clearly. In some cases, the child has a medical condition and this may lead to the speech difficulty.
Getting help for your child
Speech therapists help children who have hearing impairment, weak muscles around the mouth, vocal nodules or hoarseness, and cleft lip or palate. They also help with conditions like autism, breathing disorders and swallowing disorders. If your child has any type of speech difficulty, you should make sure that you get help as soon as possible. The sooner you get the child into therapy, the better. The therapist will take the child through different tests to identify the type of speech problem the child has.
There are different treatment methods for different speech conditions and while some treatments are short, others are long term. In some cases, the treatment may take a couple of weeks while in other cases, it can go on for years.
