We often teach children to become better communicators. But sometimes, adults need to be, too. Some adults still experience trouble with their communication, enunciation, comprehension, or other issues related to speech. If you think you’re one of those adults, there’s no need to be ashamed. What you can do is improve yourself and engage yourself in speech therapy.
In this article, we will discuss what speech therapy is, why you need speech therapy, and how it can benefit you. Keep reading to find out if speech therapy will work for you.
What Is Speech Therapy?
First, let’s define what speech therapy is. Speech therapy focuses on helping you with your speech, language, and social skills. It’s both an assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders. This treatment applies both to adults and children. The end goal of speech therapy is to improve the communication skills of an individual. However, it may vary depending on the disorder you’re dealing with and the goals you’d like to achieve.
Who Would Benefit from Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy is not limited to children or someone with autism. In fact, anyone can take advantage of it, especially individuals experiencing the following symptoms:
- Difficulty speaking clearly
- Difficulty stringing words and phrases together
- Issues with swallowing
- Difficulty reading and writing
- Constantly experiencing dryness of mouth
- Stuttering and lisps
- Chronic sore throat or pain in the vocal cords
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should consider enrolling yourself in speech therapy.
When Do You Need Speech Therapy?
As mentioned, you should consider speech therapy if you experience any of the symptoms we’ve mentioned. But, there are other reasons why you might be needing speech therapy. Here are the possible reasons:
- If you’re diagnosed with laryngeal cancer
- If you already have dementia
- If you’re diagnosed with oral cancer
- If you suffered from a brain injury
- If you had a stroke
- If you have respiratory conditions
- If you had a surgery
- If you’re now aging
- If you have autism
- If you want an accent modification
What Are the Different Kinds of Speech and Language Disorders?
It’s true that many speech problems begin in childhood. But, it’s not always the case. Sometimes, a person can have speech problems during adulthood or their senior years. It may be because of the following speech and language disorders that they may have developed later in their life:
- Apraxia – Apraxia is a condition that has something to do with brain impairment. You may have this after a stroke, brain injury, or surgery.
- Dysarthria – It’s also a malfunction in the brain wherein the muscles controlling your lips, face, tongue, and throat are damaged.
- Aphasia – This disorder refers to a person who has trouble understanding, speaking, reading, or writing.
Conclusion
Speech therapy is an effective solution if you want to address your speech problems and improve your language and speech skills. Remember, there’s no need to feel ashamed if you’re having trouble with your communication, enunciation, or comprehension now that you’re an adult. These things really happen to some people, especially those diagnosed with certain conditions that affect their speech.
Gateway Home Health Hospice offers different kinds of home care services to help improve your quality of life, including speech therapy service. Our speech therapists will assess and treat your speech, language, and communication problems, ensuring that you are getting the care you deserve. Get in touch with us today!