What is speech therapy?
Communication is an important part of life. Being able to communicate clearly and understandably to others enables active participation in almost all areas of life – whether at work or in the social and family environment. If speech comprehension, articulation, phonation or the like are impaired, this slows down those affected – often, in addition to social relationships, professional prospects, and in the case of children, school prospects, also suffer.
Speech therapy aims to restore the ability to communicate or to develop it in the first place. It examines and treats disorders of speech, voice and language. Swallowing disorders are also part of the field, as they can have a negative impact on the ability to speak.
The focus is on the therapy of such impairments by trained speech therapists. Diagnosis and prescription are made by the physician. Usually family doctors, pneumologists (lung specialists), ENT specialists and pediatricians prescribe speech therapy.
When is speech therapy performed?
The target group of speech therapy measures are adults and children alike. Fields of application include, for example:
- Dysphagia (sucking, feeding, eating and swallowing disorders) in babies and toddlers
- Dysphagia (swallowing disorders) in adults, e.g. in neurological and geriatric diseases or as a result of tumor diseases.
- Speech development disorders in children
- Mutism (“fear of speaking”)
- Dyslalia (phonetic malformation)
- Auditory processing and perception disorders
- Stuttering and poluttering
- Voice disorders
- Speech and language disorders (aphasias) in the context of neurological or geriatric diseases, such as strokes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), dementias, as well as in hearing impaired and deaf people.
Speech therapy for children
In some children, language development is delayed for a variety of reasons. But at what point is speech therapy indicated? Experts recommend a speech therapy examination if, at the age of four, the child is still significantly behind peers in terms of language. Developmental disorders can affect the following areas:
- Pronunciation (e.g., lisping or consistent use of incorrect letters such as Tasper instead of Kasper)
- vocabulary (significantly reduced individual vocabulary)
- grammar (e.g., incorrect sentence order for activity words: “Rita has gone”)
- the use of language
- comprehension of speech
- the flow of speech (e.g. stuttering and precursors thereof)
What do you do in speech therapy?
Speech therapy is based on three main procedures: Speech therapy, language therapy and voice therapy. Depending on the underlying complaint, the doctor prescribes one of the forms of therapy or a combination of them. Initially, this is an initial prescription, which can be followed by subsequent prescriptions as needed.
The basis for this is a comprehensive diagnosis. Based on this, the most appropriate form of therapy is determined. Logopedic diagnostic procedures include, for example:
- Sound audiogram (hearing curve) to measure individual hearing ability
- Stroboscopic findings
- Voice status
- Imaging procedures
- Voice field measurement
- Endoscopic and neurological examinations
- Speech analysis
- Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT)
- Speech and language analyses
Speech therapy
Speech therapy is concerned with eliminating problems in speech development, language use and comprehension. This includes, for example, limited vocabulary, the inability to speak in coherent sentences or to grasp the meaning of texts and language. In children, the goal is usually to correct disorders in language development. The treatment of dyslexia (dyscalculia) also belongs to this area.
According to the remedies catalog, speech therapy measures are primarily aimed at the following:
- Initiation of linguistic utterances
- Training and preservation of the spoken language for linguistic communication
- Articulation improvement or creation of non-verbal communication possibilities
- Normalization or improvement of auditory perception ability
- Establishment of communication strategies
- Normalization of speech sound
- Elimination of dysfunctions of the larynx and tongue muscles
- Improvement and maintenance of the swallowing process
Speech therapy
Speech therapy treats articulation problems, i.e. difficulties with correct pronunciation and sound formation.
The remedies catalog provides for speech therapy measures for targeted initiation and promotion:
- articulation
- the speed of speech
- the coordinative performance
- @ the motor and sensory speech regions of the speech apparatus, breathing, voice and swallowing.
Speech therapy: Voice therapy
Voice therapy aims to strengthen the voice and resolve vocal complaints such as hoarseness or compulsive throat clearing.
According to the catalog of remedies, the applications of voice therapy aim at the regulation of:
- Breathing
- phonation (sound and voice formation)
- @ articulation
- swallowing processes
Manual voice therapy according to Münch uses elements of osteopathy and physiotherapy and combines them with active exercises of the patient. The aim is to normalize the state of tension of the muscles responsible for voice, breathing and swallowing.
Speech therapy: exercises
In the speech therapy practice, a variety of speech and language exercises as well as motor training units are on the program. Based on the diagnosis, the speech therapist puts together an individual therapy and exercise plan. For example, those affected train the correct pronunciation of vowels, consonants and syllables through buzzing exercises.
Oral gymnastics can help to loosen the speaking tools and use them more consciously. Swallowing and breathing exercises as well as reading aloud help the affected person to speak clearly and understandably. Other exercises focus on increasing the ability to perceive and concentrate.
However, many speech therapy exercises are not only available in speech therapy practices: home exercises complement the training and effectively reinforce what has been learned.
Example: Dysarthria exercise for at home
- Summing: One after the other, hum the vowels a, e, i, o, and u loudly and for a long time. Repeat 10 times per vowel, practice three times a day.
- High and low: Speak each vowel once in a very low voice, then in a very high voice.
- Targeted practice: Write down words that are particularly difficult to pronounce and practice them especially intensively.
You can find further examples and suggestions in various books on the subject. The Internet also offers numerous practical exercises for download. If you want to have your training units always and everywhere at hand, you are well advised to use a speech therapy app. Easy to use and easy to understand, logopedic exercises can be easily integrated into everyday life.
For children, there are special materials in the form of a book, app or online exercise material. This allows logopedic therapy to be continued in a playful way at home and on the move.
Example: child-friendly oral motor exercises for the home
- Lip exercises: Bubbling in the bathtub with or without a straw, blowing rubber animals, blowing sailing ships made of paper or corks, eating salt sticks without hands.
- Tongue exercise: licking food scraps off lips.
What are the risks of speech therapy?
There are no specific risks associated with speech therapy. If treatment is started early, there is a good chance of significantly reducing speech or language disorders.
