You might be referred to as a speech therapist, or otherwise more appropriately given, a speech-language pathologist (SLP). An SLP could help treat many problems related to speech, language, and swallowing. An SLP is trained to recognize speech pathology and deal with clients with various disorders speech-related. In addition to these speech-related issues, an SLP could also help clients with articulation, fluency, memory, oral motor skills, speaking skills, communication skills, and social communication.
A speech therapist Adelaide would often work with children who have developmental or speech disabilities. The problem arises when an SLP fails to recognize that the child’s speech sounds different from others. For example, the child might make sounds that do not sound like words, use gestures that are non-existent, or produce sounds by mumbling words. The inability to recognize these signals leads the speech therapist to recommend treatment that focuses on communication skills and in helping the child to make sounds that they understand.
In addition, speech therapists would also help people suffering from stuttering or stammering. These two speech problems typically emerge during childhood and often remain until adulthood. There is an obvious difference between the pronunciation of one’s own and that of others for people with stuttering problems. On the other hand, stammering is usually associated with some emotional trauma that the sufferer has gone through.
Aside from working with stutterers and stammers, an SLP might treat individuals with fluency disorders such as fluency stuttering and sign language fluency. These individuals normally have a difficult time speaking and as a result, they usually communicate through gestures. An experienced speech therapist could help them overcome their problems through effective communication strategies. This could include relaxation techniques and teaching the individual to practice signing. When a person signs, they should produce the appropriate facial expression to indicate that they are saying something.
A speech therapist Adelaide may also work with those with stuttering problems. For example, they can prescribe speech therapy for people who wish to learn how to speak again or for those fluent in fluently speaking English but stammering. This involves teaching the individual how to produce certain sounds they are familiar with but may have unconsciously learned. In addition, the therapist might teach the patient ways to control their breathing to prevent shortness of breath during a speech.
If you suspect that your child might be suffering from one or more of these communication problems, it would be advisable to consult a speech therapist or a speech-language Pathologist. In the United States, the American Speech-Language Pathology Association is the sole authority responsible for licensing speech-language Pathologists. In most other countries, however, speech therapists and speech-language Pathologists are self-regulated. In some cases, a child might need to be hospitalized to receive treatment.