Children require speech-language therapy for a variety of reasons; the following conditions may need speech or language therapy:

• hearing impairments
• cognitive (intellectual; thinking) or other developmental delays
• weak oral muscles
• birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate
• autism
• motor planning problems
• respiratory problems (breathing disorders)
• swallowing disorders

What is involved with ST?

Speech disorders include the following problems, according to Diane Paul-Brown, PhD, director of clinical issues in speech-language pathology at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association  (ASHA):

• Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people can't understand what's being said.
• Fluency disorders include problems such as stuttering , the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering).
• Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of a child's voice that distract listeners from what's being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking.

Language disorders can be either receptive or expressive. Receptive disorders refer to difficulties understanding or processing language. Expressive disorders include difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way.

Benefits of ST?

Speech-language pathologists assess individuals and create a plan of care based on the individual strengths and weaknesses.  Treatment goals should focus on an individual's needs.  Treatment can be play based or instructional and should be motivating to the child.  Everything should be individualized to the person.  For instance if a child is demonstrating a receptive language disorder with specific deficits in the area of spatial concepts, treatment would include activities where the child can put things in, out, on, over, under, and through.  If a child has oral sensory-motor deficits or feeding-swallowing deficits, direct stimulation of the oral and pharyngeal muscles may be indicated. 

• Increased independence with communication-recpetive and expressive communication. 
• Increased cognitive skills. 
• Increased academic preparedness and success in the classroom. 
• Increased nutritional status. 
• Increased ability to orally feed safely and take an age appropriate diet.

Training required

Speech-language patholgists are required to have a Masters degree from an accredited university program in SLP.