Understanding early intervention speech therapy

1. Understanding early intervention speech therapy Early intervention speech therapy aims at the early diagnosis of learning disabilities in a child’s life, and therapy. Studies reveal that early intervention makes dramatic progress and helps individuals experience positive outcomes. The focus areas of early intervention programs are stuttering, speech delays, voice disorders, etc. As this intervention is aimed at infants, the techniques adopted are much different from what is preferred for older children and adults. Reasons for speech disabilities in infants Speech disabilities in infants is most often a result of some other underlying disease or disability like autism, deafness, cerebral palsy, apraxia, etc. Early intervention speech therapy acts bring together a care team that addresses not just the speech disability but also the underlying issues. Long-treatment plans are made in consultation with multiple experts and the parents are trained to best support their child through the treatment plan. Early indicators of learning disabilities Early intervention programs can be incorporated into a child's life only when diagnosis is done early. Some common early indicators of learning disabilities in infants include the absence of baby talk or sounds made by babies, abnormality in lip and tongue movements, delayed speech, difficulty in mouthing words, and sensitivity of nerves near the mouth, to changing temperature or touch, amongst others. Stuttering – the most common early disability Stuttering is one of the most common speech disabilities that present in infants. In fact, 1 in 5 people suffer from stuttering as a speech disability. If left unattended, it can grow to be a major handicap even into adulthood. Stuttering is first observed from the ages between 2 and 5. A study named the Lidcombe study of early intervention program revealed that syllabic stuttering can be reduced by over half in just a period of 9 months of early intervention. The study also records that over 80% of students in the program completely shed their stutter before entering their teenage years. What is done in early intervention programs? Early intervention programs are tailor-made for little children and incorporate games into the treatment plan to retain their interest, and therapy is fun for them. Children tend to respond better and quicker when they have fun. Most of these games and techniques have repetitive patterns and include imitation games, the sound echoing, blowing bubbles to strengthen oral muscles, using picture cards and objects to test memory and facilitate identification.