Speech and language therapy
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and language therapy (pronunciation: /spiːtʃ ænd ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ θɛrəpi/), also known as speech therapy, is a specialized field of healthcare that focuses on the diagnosis, management, and treatment of individuals who have difficulties with communication, swallowing, and voice.
Etymology
The term "speech and language therapy" is derived from the words "speech" and "language", which refer to the human abilities to communicate through spoken words and understand the use of complex systems of communication, respectively. The word "therapy" comes from the Greek word "therapeia", which means "healing" or "curing".
Overview
Speech and language therapists, also known as speech-language pathologists, work with individuals of all ages, from infants to the elderly. They help individuals who have conditions that affect their ability to speak, understand, read, write, or swallow. These conditions may be due to developmental delays, stroke, brain injuries, hearing loss, cleft palate, voice disorders, or other medical conditions.
Related Terms
- Articulation: The physical production of particular speech sounds.
- Fluency: The smoothness or flow with which sounds, syllables, words and phrases are joined together when speaking quickly.
- Resonance: The quality of the voice that is determined by the balance of sound vibration in the oral, nasal, and pharyngeal cavities during speech.
- Receptive language: The ability to understand information. It involves understanding the words, sentences and meaning of what others say or what is read.
- Expressive language: The ability to put thoughts into words and sentences, in a way that makes sense and is grammatically accurate.
See Also
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