What is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy involves the assessment, treatment, and management of speech disorders and associated communication issues. It aims to improve speech, language, and cognitive communication in both children and adults. Speech therapy can also address swallowing problems caused by various factors like injury or medical conditions such as oral cancer.
Components of Speech Therapy:
- Learning to create vibrations by organizing mouth articulation.
- Understanding and expressing unique aspects of language.
Speech Therapy Exercises at Home:
You can perform these exercises to improve speech and swallowing:
- Lips Exercise:
- Spread lips apart for 3 seconds.
- Pucker lips together for 3 seconds.
- Repeat 5 times daily.
- Consonant and Vowel Pairing Repetition:
- Say a consonant 5 times, pairing it with different vowels each time.
- Tongue Up and Down:
- Move tongue up and down, holding each position for 2 seconds.
- Tongue Side-to-Side:
- Move tongue side-to-side, touching each corner of the mouth.
- Hold at each corner for 2 seconds.
- Tongue-Strengthening:
- Push tongue up against hard palate for 3 seconds.
- Repeat 5 times.
- Voicebox:
- Use a digital vocal pitch app to reach the highest note possible while making the 'ah' sound.
- Hold for 3 seconds and gradually increase range.
- Do 5 repetitions per day.
- Brushing:
- Studies show that using an electric brush can improve speech.
- Breathing:
- Perform breathing exercises to relax vocal cords and improve breathing pattern.
How Parents Can Help:
Parents play a crucial role in supporting speech therapy for children. Their involvement can significantly impact the recovery process. It's essential for parents to:
- Stay patient and encourage their children.
- Follow speech therapy tips and activities provided by the therapist.
References:
https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1516-18462017000200147&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en
https://thorax.bmj.com/content/72/2/129
Dr. Garima Singh
Physiotherapist
BPT and DPTR.