What is Speech Therapy
Speech therapy, also known as ST (Speech Therapy), is a treatment conducted for children with disorders in language, speech, and communication skills. Typically, speech therapy begins with an assessment session conducted by a Speech Therapist or Speech-Language Pathologist to first identify the type of communication problem the child has and the best way to address it.
The main goal of ST is not only to enable the child to speak but goes beyond that to include:
- Maximizing meaningful two-way communication
- Improving vocabulary and word pronunciation
- Strengthening the muscles used in speech
- Learning proper speaking techniques
Who Conducts Speech Therapy?
And How Are Therapy Sessions Conducted?
One-to-One speech therapy sessions at EQ are conducted by Speech Therapists – individuals who hold a Bachelor’s Degree in the field of speech science education. Our therapists also undergo internal training for 1 month with experienced senior STs before conducting classes officially.
Speech Therapy One-to-One sessions will be conducted on weekdays, with four sessions monthly. This is to ensure flexibility for busy schedules without the burden of lengthy therapy appointment wait lists in hospitals.
Occupational & Speech Therapist
Therapy & Playgroup
Who Needs Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy is a treatment provided to children as early as 2 years old who have issues with communication and language. Speech therapy typically follows occupational therapy once the child has completed it.
Children who have issues such as:
Parents can refer to the speech milestones below:
Characteristics of Children Who Need Therapy
1
At the age of 1 year old, most children are on their way to develop their communication skills. They may begin to understand simple instructions and common words, and begin to recognize their own name. Additionally, they might start to babble or attempt their first simple words like mama, papa, milk, car.
2
By the age of 2, most children are making significant strides in their communication skills. They typically understand simple sentences and questions, with a vocabulary that may range from 50 to 100 words. Additionally, they’re starting to put words together to form short phrases like ‘want juice’ or ‘red ball’.
3
By the age of 3, children should be able to listen and understand instructions with more than 2 words. They are able to combine 3-4 words to form a sentences.
4
By the age of 4 years, a child will typically start to understand basic concepts like colors, have around 900 words in their vocabulary, use 4-5 words to form sentences, and begin to use “WH-questions”.
5
When a child is 5 years old, they will typically start to understand more complex instructions, be able to form sentences exceeding 6 words, and can retell events that have occurred.
Activities Conducted by Therapists
During the 1-hour therapy session, the therapist will engage in one-to-one activities with the child, including consultation/discussion with parents in the last 15 minutes of the class. This in-depth assessment considers the children’s physical abilities, social interactions, emotional expression, sensory processing and cognitive development. Some strategies employed by Speech Therapists to assist children include:
- Play-based learning activities to enhance vocabulary
- Play activities to aid in interaction and communication to stimulate language development
- Demonstrating how to guide children to start speaking and providing appropriate sequences for oral motor skills
- Providing a home program for parents to continue consistent activities at home with guidance from the therapist
What Will Happen If a Child
Doesn’t Attend Therapy?
The child may experience emotional disturbances and develop behavioral issues.
Children experiencing delayed speech development will inevitably struggle to express themselves. Therefore, children with delayed speech issues may experience emotional disturbances because they cannot engage in two-way communication to express their desires.
A significant developmental gap compared to their actual age.
A child who is 5 years old but still at the level of a 2-year-old in terms of speech is experiencing a significant delay gap, which is not in line with the expected level of speech development. Only consistent therapy classes can provide support and assistance to children with such developmental delays.
Parents need to promptly provide therapy for their children to prevent a delay gap from becoming too large compared to their actual age. This is because once the child surpasses each age stage, the opportunity for optimal development diminishes, and it will take longer to catch up.
What Are the Next Steps for Parents?
Begin with an Assessment.
What We Serve?
We provide assessment sessions as the first step for parents to understand their child’s developmental issues further. If your child starts showing a decline in daily activities such as not responding to their name and instructions or being unfocused, the assessment session can determine if speech therapy is the appropriate therapy for your child.
This speech therapy assessment is crucial for therapists to understand the child’s current development and to identify an appropriate and effective treatment plan based on the child’s issues. This is because each child has different developmental issues and requires various therapy approaches.
However, this assessment is not a diagnosis of the child’s problems; it is simply an initial step to identify and address the child’s issues. This assessment:
- Lasts for 1 hour, with the last 15 minutes allocated for discussion between the Speech Therapist (ST) and parents about the child’s issues.
- A assessment report will be provided, which can also be used as a reference for hospitals or therapy centers.
- The assessment session costs RM 250 for one session.
If your child has issues as mentioned above, you can contact the nearest branch to book an assessment session at our center as the first step to identify the issues more specifically.
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