Paediatric speech pathology has to do with teaching children the ways and types of communication, chewing and swallowing abilities and also improving speaking and non-speaking skills. You might know of or have heard of children that have speech impediments; e.g., lisps and stuttering. You may have also wondered if there are any means by which they can be, “fixed.”
While you may have heard of paediatric speech pathology – or more likely not. You might believe its only importance is towards language and speech, but this is only partly true. Here’s why; it encompasses way more than dealing with speaking and speech impediments.
In this article, you will understand better who these pathologists are and what exactly it is they do.
What Do Paediatric Speech Pathology Focus On?
Paediatric speech pathology focuses on the ability to chew, eat and swallow, as well as teaching children to communicate what they are thinking.
It also focuses on making better these three different parts of communicating with people:
• Speech: With paediatric speech pathology, it works to help children improve their articulation and reduce disfluency.
• Expressive language: It is just as the name suggests, it is helping children learn how to create words and merge them into sentences to express their ideas, needs or wants.
For example: Using following orders as an example, when the pathologist tells the child, “hey, put the circular ball into the circular hole.”
The child then takes the information, identifies the circle, as well as the circular ball and then takes action.
• Receptive language: paediatric speech pathology focuses to improve the child’s ability to understand any sort of information given to them by others.
How Paediatric Speech Pathology Aids children
Everyone is different and that includes children. The children are made to undergo an assessment which lets the speech pathologist know the best way to try to treat or help the child.
Speech Pathologists make each session of therapy into a recreational activity for the younger ones to help them with articulation.
Creating a fun event like when the children are given dolls to play with and feed and then talking about the kinds of food that were fed to the doll.
This helps the child develop in the aspects that the pathologist is trying to help the child with.
Parents are given tools by the pathologist to help the child perform even better. Although practising what was learnt at the session is equally as important.
Why Your child Would Have To Go To An Speech Pathologist
A child will need to see an SLP for different reasons, they include:
• Articulation of particular sounds.
• Stuttering problems. ( becoming more fluent)
• To understand receptive language I.e understanding questions or orders/directions.
• Communicating at a level proper for their age by using the right sentences and phrases.
• Chewing, eating and swallowing abilities – when the child is unable to correct or in a safe manner, take drinks or food meant for their age.
• Aiding in information organisation and behavioural regulation.