What is speech therapy?

  • 15 December 2021
  • 72

Talking and communicating is one of the most basic human needs. People are born with the ability to speak and understand what is being said, but some medical problems prevent them from using this ability.

"Speech therapists deal directly with speech defects."

Speech therapist Ayten Aslanova said this while sharing her views on the science of speech therapy. He said that the society is less educated about the science of speech therapy, but in recent years the situation has changed for the better:

"In the past, when children were speech-impaired, solutions were not sought until the age of five. Unfortunately, the families were reluctant to consult a speech therapist because they could not accept the problem. In the past, although there was a speech delay, the children's social environment was healthier. Spending time with their peers could have a positive effect on their speech. Today's children spend most of their time using electronic devices such as telephones, televisions, and tablets, which slow down their speech development. The situation is even more deplorable, as most of the society is a family with children. In this case, children cannot adapt to the social environment. Some children, even at the age of 4, are unable to express themselves. The presence of such issues results in the disruption of their psychology, and along with the development of speech, they also lag behind in psychological development. From the age of 3, children explore the world around them by asking questions. Based on the answers they receive, they form words and sentences and begin to express their thoughts. Children with speech delays also fall behind psychologically because they cannot discover the world around them. When applied to a speech therapist at the age of 5, children face many problems in the process of adapting to school, such as not being able to understand the teaching and learning, and not being able to communicate with their peers there. ”

A.Aslanova said that parents who do not know about the science of speech therapy think that the speech therapist is a doctor.

"They think that their children will be prescribed medicine or a 10-15-day course. Thus, the problem of speech delay will be solved. Speech therapy is a pedagogical process. If the reason for the child's speech delay comes from his brain, then the children are referred to a neurologist. These are two completely different processes: one is medical and one is pedagogical.

Starting a relationship varies from person to person. Sometimes we get positive results within 10 lessons, and sometimes between 3-6 months. We cannot reconcile the delay in speech of a child with autism with the delay of speech by a child with incorrect pronunciation. I repeat, this process varies depending on the individual. "