| A vigilant parent would do well to monitor a child | | | | more intensive for more severe speech problems. |
| who experiences persistent stuttering in order to | | | | Although the discipline requires time to master, |
| assess the child's situation. An option that | | | | there are specialists other than pathologists or |
| responsible parents should strongly consider is | | | | therapists for speech and language (SLP) who are |
| speech therapy for children if the child is above | | | | trained in speech therapy. Even a layperson can |
| five years of age and still experiences persistent | | | | administer the relevant therapy as long as there |
| stuttering. | | | | is adequate guidance from an SLP. Therapy can |
| Even though it is not considered a core discipline in | | | | be effected efficiently and smoothly as long as |
| any medical practice, speech therapy for children | | | | the person abides by the lessons and exercises |
| is actually an especially beneficial area of | | | | that are drafted by an SLP for the child in |
| treatment for improving the speech patterns of a | | | | question. |
| stuttering child. | | | | Based on this reasoning, a child's parents are in a |
| The aim of speech therapy is to treat and cure a | | | | good position to administer speech therapy for |
| stutter. The discipline falls under the broad | | | | children with an SLP's guidance. However, parents |
| umbrella of speech pathology. However, speech | | | | have to be educated on the more commonly |
| therapy is not merely aimed at teaching a child to | | | | identified speech defects before they can |
| speak properly, but to set right a number of | | | | determine the appropriate therapy. |
| speech defects and correct a child's pattern of | | | | There are three main speech defects in children, |
| speech. Prior to therapy, a therapist first must | | | | namely articulation defects, voice/resonance |
| identify if a child's speech defect is due to | | | | disorders and fluency disorders. Defects of the |
| external causes such as accidents, or whether it | | | | secondary physical features for speech (such as |
| is a natural defect. | | | | that of the lips, cheeks, jaw, teeth, tongue) |
| Whatever the cause, a speech and language | | | | characterize the first, while defects of the vocal |
| therapist must first and foremost determine the | | | | cords and similar parts of the anatomy, i.e. |
| defect's severity. Practically speaking, the severity | | | | primary physical speech features characterize the |
| of the defect directly affects the gravity of | | | | second. Stuttering is an example of a fluency |
| treatment rendered, i.e. there is a direct | | | | disorder, which is not due to physical defects of |
| correlation. Treatment is usually moderate for | | | | primary or secondary speech features. |
| something relatively simple like a stutter, and is | | | | |