IMPROVED SPEECH AND COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS SUPPORT A CHILD'S EMOTIONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

BY AVIVIT BEN-AHARON, MS ED., MA CCC SLP

Empowering your exceptional child with improved speech and communication skills is one of the most valuable steps you can take to nurture emotional growth and overall development.

When a child struggles to communicate, parents recognize how much this impacts all other aspects of their child's life. Boosting self-confidence, enhancing interpersonal relationships and enabling the child to express wishes and articulate desires, provide the child with the greatest possible chance for success. Speech therapy does just that and the results literally speak volumes: reduced isolation and frustration, and connections with family and educators that are both gratifying and heart-warming for all.

YOUR CHILD WILL BENEFIT

Children with exceptionalities can benefit from instruction with a speech-language pathologist (SLP) to address issues related to specific sounds, speech or articulation issues, whether they have been recently diagnosed or diagnosed in their past. The formal diagnosis of a speech or language disorder is often less relevant to the prognosis or outcome of the child's ultimate ability to communicate. As clinicians, we often look at how a child functions in every setting and communicate with family and friends, to determine goals and outcomes.

Some communication disorders are a result of inherited or genetic conditions:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Down Syndrome
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Other rare genetic syndromes Additionally, some children experience a more sudden onset of communications disorders:
• Traumatic Brain Injury: mild, moderate or acute related to car accidents, physical or head trauma related to falls, bicycling or other.
• Post-Concussion Syndrome: headaches, drowsiness, and feeling as though you're in a fog, makes it challenging to find the words to say, interact with others and pay attention to conversations.
• Sports-Related Concussion: slowed speech timing often perceived as "slurred speech."
• Traumatic/Emotional Stress: body goes into fight/flight (or freeze) mode, blood is diverted away from the parts of the brain responsible for language and speech production, and consequently, their capacity to formulate language and to initiate speech is significantly reduced.

INTRODUCING VIRTUAL SPEECH 'TELETHERAPY'

The pandemic introduced many parents to the convenience of accessing multiple healthcare services via virtual care, also known as telemedicine or telehealth. Using audio and video technology, patients and clinicians are able to "see" and communicate