Speech Pathology and Communication Disorders: Allied Health Interventions for Speech Impairments
Communication disorder is one of the most common disabilities among kids. Alongside doctors and medical experts, allied health professionals significantly contribute to the treatment of speech disorders.
These impairments can easily be treated and cured with continuous speech therapy, activities, and healthy practices. Speech pathology assists children and adults to improve their communication and language skills.
In this blog, we will look into some common communication disorders and how allied health assists in treating these communication impairments.
Allied Health Defined
Allied Health comprises a group of healthcare professionals collaborating with doctors, nurses, and specialists to assist in patient recovery. These professionals feature physiotherapists, chiropractors, speech therapists, and others.
These professionals utilise specialised skills and tools for patient diagnosis and treatment across various settings, such as hospitals, clinics, schools, and private practices. Allied health holds great importance in ensuring patient's well-being and recovery, therefore making them an important part of the healthcare system.
Common Communication Disorders
A communication disorder refers to a condition where individuals experience difficulties in receiving, processing, or understanding basic concepts within verbal or non-verbal systems. Such disorders often manifest in challenges related to hearing, language, or speech processes.
Speech Disorder
Speech disorders are mainly concerned with the impairment of speech sounds, fluency, or voice articulation.
● Articulation disorder is when someone has trouble making certain speech sounds, making their words hard to understand.
● Fluency disorder occurs when someone has trouble talking smoothly in a flow. They might talk too fast or slow and often repeat sounds or words.
● Voice disorder is a concern when someone's voice sounds strange or different in a way that's not normal for their age or gender. This could mean their voice is too high or low, too quiet or loud.
Language Disorder
Such speech-language impairments are concerned with the damage to comprehension or use of spoken, written, and other symbol systems. Given below are some common language disorders.
● Phonology is how the sounds work in a language and the rules for putting sounds together.
● Morphology is about how words are put together and how they look.
● Syntax is how words are used to make sentences and how the words are arranged in those sentences.
● Pragmatics is using language correctly for different situations, like knowing when and how to talk based on the context and who you're talking to.
How Allied Health Helps in The Treatment of Communication Disorders
Allied health professionals like speech therapists help improve your ability to speak and communicate through language. They provide you with relevant exercises and activities as a treatment for communication disorders. Your speed pathologist thoroughly assesses you and collaborates with your doctor and other healthcare experts to create an appropriate treatment based on your specificity.
For instance, impairments like stuttering and lisping are treated by teaching strategies to improve speech fluency. Allied health professionals work to foster the development of social communication skills and improve an individual's ability to carry out daily tasks.
Bottom Line:
Communication disorders are common among both children and adults. This impairment can significantly impact one life if not treated carefully. Fortunately, speech pathologists play a great role in the treatment of such impairment by providing dedicated speech therapy, exercises, and targeted interventions. These impairments can be effectively treated and even overcome with such dedicated treatment.
Ultimate Health is a reliable name in the allied health industry. We provide exceptional speech pathologists and professionals who are proven to help you and your loved ones in their struggle to have a smooth conversation. We provide tailored treatments and practices specific to your impairment. Get in touch with us now to achieve the best speech treatment in Australia.