The Importance Of Speech In A Society

Since the beginning of time, every civilized nation and colony has laid great emphasis on communication. As speech has always been a vital component for surviving, struggling with proper deliverance of speech may become stressful. This is the part where speech and language pathologists come in for the rescue. These great people help people recover from their flaws and disorders that cause them trouble in communication.

Many healthcare organizations have come forward with their advanced methods of speech therapy in Pakistan. Now, you can find the best-certified speech therapist in Lahore and other major cities of Pakistan too. Be it, children, adults, or elderly people suffering from speech deliverance issues, speech therapists have them all covered. They use their expert methods of speech therapy to help the person struggling to recover from the flaws in their speech. Nobody is perfect, but without the proper abilities to communicate, one cannot succeed. It is clear that people don’t pay attention to those whom they cannot understand.

What happens when a person is struggling to communicate? They fall behind. Education, career personal life, in short, speech affects every aspect of a person’s life. To succeed, one must be listened to. And without being confident in your communication, no one would listen to you. People make fun of others who lack in their skills of communication. This can cause a serious effect on a person’s mental health and deprive them of their confidence and self-worth. This is why it’s a blessing that speech therapists exist.

But First What Is Speech Therapy And Who Are Slps?

Ever since a person is born to the moment that person dies, what remains constant is the need to communicate. How would a teacher teach if the child won’t communicate? Similarly, how would an elderly person ask for help if they can’t communicate? The answer is that they cannot. To prevent falling behind in these basic struggles of life one must know how to properly communicate. Now, one thing that must be kept in mind is that communication is not limited to speech only. Therefore, speech therapy is only required for dealing with the recovery and maintenance of speech that affects communication.

Speech and language pathologists are trained specialists who work with people who have trouble maintaining proper speech. A speech therapist’s primary responsibility is to assist patients in recovering from speech-related issues. They have a degree in communication sciences or a major in a disorder-related field. They can use various methods and techniques to help their patients recover from their speech disorders. With these methods, the SLPs help patients develop the skills of proper sound-making, pronunciation, and strengthening their oral muscles and so much more.

Do Speech Disorders Really Exist?

Speech disorders are more common than one thinks. It is more common in children than in adults. However, adults can have speech disorders as well. It all depends on the reason that may trigger speech disorders. For instance, children may develop speech disorders due to mental disabilities and disorders at an early age. On the other hand, adults can develop speech disorders as a result of some tragic accident or event that affects the muscles of the mouth or organs that contribute to speech. The good side is, that speech disorders such as these can be cured. With proper and consistent speech therapy, it only becomes a matter of time before the person becomes fluent in their speech again.

What Age Group Is Most Affected By Speech Disorders?

Speech disorders affect children of ages 3-6 the most. This happens because these years are the developmental years of a person’s life. At this age, a person learns about the development of most of their important abilities. Such as, running, talking, learning, etc. Other than that, children who suffer from some mental and behavioral disorders such as ADHD or Autism are at a greater risk of developing speech disorders. In most cases, speech disorders go away with time. Moreover, it has been seen that children who get early speech therapy are more likely to overcome their speech disorders than children who do not. This is why parents usually neglect this condition in hopes that the disorder would eventually fade away on its own.

What Are Some Major Signs That Indicate Speech Disorders?

Children who may be at risk of suffering from developmental or speech disorders show early signs of their condition. These signs can easily be caught on with proper knowledge. Therefore, the sooner parents know about the condition of their children the better. Therefore, if your child shows any of the following alarming signs, consult a speech therapist.

• The child is under the age of 3 months and struggles with smiling or playing with others
• Children who are 4-7 months old and do not make weird sounds and do not babble.
• The child is 7-12 months old and does not sign motions such as waving, pointing, etc. Also, makes little to no sounds.
• Children within the age group of 7 months- 2 years old have difficulty understanding what others have to say.
• The child is 12-18 months old and still only says a very little number of words.
• The child is 2-3 years old and has trouble communicating and playing with other children

Other than these important signs, if your child stutters, has an inconsistent voice quality, any structural problems related to their mouth, or ear infections and hearing disorders, then it is also likely that your child already has speech disorders or would eventually develop them.

A Brief List Of Speech Disorders

The list of speech disorders isn’t exactly small. Most of these conditions are curable with proper speech therapy. Some of the most common speech disorders among children are listed below:

Articulation Disorder:

Articulation disorders are mainly concerned with the inability to make sounds appropriately. Individuals who struggle with articulation disorders have trouble speaking words correctly. They may appear to have acquired a lisp, in which they pronounce ‘s’ as ‘th.’ Aside from that, kids may have trouble implementing other sounds, such as pronouncing ‘twee’ instead of ‘tree.’

Dysarthria:

Dysarthria is a condition that impairs the muscles involved in speech production. These patients have little control over the speed and sound of their voice box. The tongue, larynx, and surrounding muscles are the most afflicted muscles in this type of disorder. Any injury to the neurological system can cause dysarthria.

Receptive Disorder:

Receptive disorders affect people’s ability to grasp what others are saying to them. They could also have trouble explaining themselves and comprehending others. The numbers of individuals with receptive language disorders also have expressive language disorders.

Resonance Disorder:

People who suffer from a resonance impairment may struggle to speak in an overly nasal voice. It occurs when anything in the oral or nasal cavities obstructs the sound’s correct airflow.

Apraxia:

Apraxia is a condition in which a person is unable to make particular motor motions despite complete awareness and understanding of the procedures. A neurological condition or injury might also cause it.

Orofacial Malfunction (omd):

This disorder interferes with a person’s normal growth and development of the bones and muscles of the mouth. OMD patients have difficulty eating, swallowing, chewing, and breathing adequately via their nose.