What is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy is a specialized field focused on evaluating, diagnosing, and treating communication disorders. These disorders can encompass a range of issues, including difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, and even swallowing. Speech therapists, also known as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), work with individuals across the lifespan—from infants and children to adults and the elderly.
Therapy sessions are tailored to meet each person’s unique needs and may address a variety of challenges such as articulation problems, fluency issues like stuttering, voice disorders, and language impairments. The goal of speech therapy is to enhance an individual’s ability to communicate effectively, thereby improving their overall quality of life. Whether helping a child pronounce sounds correctly, assisting a stroke survivor in regaining language skills, or supporting someone with a cognitive-communication disorder, speech therapists play a vital role in fostering effective communication.
