Speech therapy (synonyms: medical speech therapy, speech therapy) is a medical specialty that has as its objective the detection and treatment of existing speech, language, voice and swallowing disorders. The cause of the respective disorder can be organic or functional (without a structural or anatomical change). Therapeutic measures are closely tied to the underlying cause.
Indications (areas of application)
Speech and language disorders in children:
- Speech disorders include disorders of language development, grammar, phonics, vocabulary, text comprehension, and text production. Furthermore, pragmatic disorders, infantile aphasias (acquired disorder of language due to a lesion (damage) in the dominant, usually the left, hemisphere (half) of the brain) and, among others, disorders of written language.
- Speech disorders include disorders of articulation (pronunciation), fluency, and apraxia-related speech disorders (disturbance in the execution of voluntary purposeful and orderly movements with intact motor function).
- Furthermore, can be treated in children, for example, dysphonia (voice disorders), dysphagia (swallowing disorders) and complex disorders of speech and language such as autism or lip-jaw-palate-socket malformations (LKGS malformations) by means of speech therapy.
Speech and language disorders in adults:
- As speech disorders can be treated in adults aphasia, disorders at the sound level, disorders of vocabulary, disorders of grammar and text comprehension and text production. Also pragmatic disorders and disorders of written language can be positively influenced by logopedic treatment.
- Speech disorders in adults such as stuttering, poltering, articulation disorders and audiogenic (hearing impairment-related) speech disorders are also part of the therapy spectrum.
- Furthermore, as in children, dysphonia (voice disorders) and dysphagia (swallowing disorders) are indications for speech therapy treatment. However, neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease also play an important role.
Contraindications
The implementation of logopedic treatment requires the presence of a certain intellectual level on the part of the patient. Especially in the case of complex malformations (e.g., chromosomal disorders), adequate success of speech therapy cannot be expected. No harm is to be expected from speech therapy treatment; nevertheless, precise consultation with the treating physician is necessary to achieve optimal therapeutic success.
Before therapy
The success of therapy depends, among other things, on the correct diagnosis of the underlying disorder as well as the selection of the right therapy concept. Close collaboration between speech therapists, pediatricians (pediatricians), neurologists (neurologists), and specialists in phoniatrics and pediatric audiology (voice, speech, and childhood hearing disorders) is essential to the success of therapy. Therapy goals are determined together with the patient and, if available, his or her significant others and caregivers.
The procedure
Within the scope of speech therapy treatment, articulation (pronunciation) is promoted, vocabulary is expanded, speech comprehension is trained, and writing, reading, and arithmetic performance are improved, depending on the patient’s needs. Furthermore, the diagnosis of respiratory, vocal or swallowing function is a crucial task of speech therapists in both outpatient and inpatient medical care. In consultation with the respective attending physicians, speech therapists use the results of these diagnostics as the basis for selecting treatment methods. In addition to outpatient or inpatient speech therapy treatment, which consists of specific exercises to improve the respective disorder and discussions about the course of treatment, instruction is given in independent practice so that the intensity of therapy and thus the success of therapy can be improved.
After therapy
Even after treatment by a speech therapist, independent training of the previously learned methods can take place in the home environment. Therapy can usually be terminated when the previously established therapy goal has been achieved or no further improvement in symptoms can be expected.
