In many cases parents or patients are not sure which professional to turn to when there are difficulties in oral or written communication. Other times it is difficult to recognize warning signs in children and valuable time is wasted waiting for the child to move forward on his own. For this reason it seems convenient to me to share some general information in order to know the professional profile of the Language Therapist and when to go to his consultation.
The medical association of Costa Rica has defined the professional profile of the language therapist based on the Profile of the Comité Permanent de Liaison des Orthophonistes-Logopèdes de l'Union Européenne (CPLOL) and has published in the Official Journal La Gaceta No 134 the professional profile of the licensed language therapist (the language therapist does NOT have an academic doctor's degree). According to the 2012 CPLOL, the function of the speech therapist is to prevent, evaluate and assume responsibility, with acts of re-education that constitute treatment, disorders of voice, articulation and speech, as well as disorders associated with the understanding of oral and written language and its expression. Speech Therapy also consists of providing the learning of other forms of non-verbal communication to complete or supplement these functions. Likewise, their work consists of informing, orienting and supporting the family or relatives of the patients since some language disorders are associated with brain damage, hearing damage, intellectual deficit or motor impairments that, in addition to the intervention of the therapist, require treatment and supervision by other health professionals.
There is an idea that speech therapists work only with children, but they are also responsible for caring for adult patients who come to speech therapy for various reasons, for example after surgery, a brain vascular event or when they suffer disorders that were not treated in childhood such as articulatory difficulties. In older adults with degenerative diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, speech therapy has been shown to be of great help in maintaining patients' skills and quality of life.
Symptoms and warning signs in children.
The most common childhood disorders occur during the language acquisition period and can be resolved with temporary intervention.
There are many cases in which parents attend the consultation on the recommendation of third parties such as a family member or teachers. To make it easier for you to identify some of the warning signs of possible difficulties, you can review this list:
- Your child has infantile speech (from a younger child) and is difficult for the adult to understand or in settings outside the home.
- His vocabulary is reduced and he tends to use a telegraphic language, that is to say with absence of verbal links such as articles and pronouns.
- Abuses gestures, signs and mime to express himself and when they don't understand him he gets frustrated.
- He omits certain sounds that he cannot pronounce ("ammon" for "ham", "duck" for "shoe" or "nano" for "banana").
- He substitutes some sounds for others that are easier for him to pronounce ("tero" for "quiero", "pezo" for "peso").
- It distorts language and gives rise to almost unintelligible words. It's got its own jargon.
- Repeat one or more syllables many times during the broadcast of a phrase.
- Breathe with your mouth open
- He suffers from drastic changes in his voice with frequent dysphonies.
If your child has to go to speech therapy, you should be interested to know. What is therapy? What are the keys to its success?
The duration of each session varies depending on the disorder to be re-educated but most sessions have a duration of 45 to 50 minutes. The total time of the intervention process may vary depending on the difficulty, consistency, and role of the parents during the intervention. It has been shown that when the family is actively involved in the process, recovery is faster.
My recommendation is always that, when in doubt, you should consult a qualified professional who will guide you through the process. This will save you headaches in the future, especially when your son or daughter starts the formal education process. In the case of therapy in children will always be more successful that starts early. If you want to guide you in the process do not hesitate to contact me , Licda Rocío Vargas Mo