Speech Impediments

Many children suffer with speech disorders. With acquired preventions and specialized pathologists, children with this disorder will have proper guidance and support. There are a variety of reasons for these disorders but daily practice and recognition and concentration can make the issue easy to deal with. Taking precautions to make sure your child has no hearing and speech issues early on is also beneficial. Obtaining information about your child’s issue is a good way to help you understand why your child does what he or she does. Reaching out to other parents with the same issues may also help in understanding speech disorders. As children, having your parents support is very important. As a parent, knowing your child strengths is also important. 

The best treatment is prevention and early intervention by a speech pathologist. Speech training is an involved and time consuming endeavor that can have profound results with consistent treatment. (Bowen, 1998)

Speech-language pathologists select intervention approaches based on the highest quality of scientific evidence available in order to help with articulation disorders and increase fluency in those who stutter. (Glausiusz,2007)

 Depending on the nature and how severe the disorder may be, common treatments may range from physical strengthening exercises, instructive or repetitive practice and drilling, to the use of audio-visual aids and introduction of strategies to facilitate functional communication. Speech therapy may also include sign language and the use of picture symbols.  A few clinics that specialize in fluency disorders may use computerized techniques to find the issue. By gathering as much information as possible about the way someone speaks, the pathologist can develop a treatment plan that meets each individual's needs. (Kidshealth.org/teens)

          The Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing offers Early Intervention programs for children with speech issues. They offer free hearing screens for infants 6 months and under. They test for audiological problems that may effect the speech of an individual and offer treatment that suites both child and parent.  The Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing has adopted the American Speech -Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) standards of practice, which has been certifying professionals since 1952. 

More and more children seem to suffer disabilities, in particularly speech impairments.  This problem has become very wide spread among our children, and helping them should be at the forefront, as for all other disabilities children are effected with.   These solutions and treatments can help the children we care about in communicating with others.