Speech – Its Issues& Therapy
Speech is the simple way of communicating one’s thoughts and expressions through a series of articulate sounds. Most people learn to speak clearly and articulately and the ability to talk comes naturally to most people. There is a relatively small percentage of the population who can talk and can produce articulate sounds but they are unable to put forth their thoughts in such a way. This is called Stuttering or Stammering.
Stuttering is a type of speech impairment that is due to fluency disorder. Similarly, two other types of speech impairment are,
- Voice disorder – Where the person has a typical tone of voice.
- Articulation disorder – Where some sounds appear to be distorted.
Stuttering usually is seen in young children who are at the age where they begin to talk, but usually, this subsides. The person can communicate fluently and articulately. But in some rare cases, this impairment continues even during the adult phase of the person. This makes it very difficult for people affected to communicate even the essential things in life, be it their name, their age, their address or phone number. It becomes a hassle and at times tends to make them very conscious in turn leading to anxiety and despair. People with these impairments tend to avoid person-to-person meetings and tend to be more introverted as they try to hide this.
Escaping confrontations is only a temporary fix, as there will come a time when we may have to put forth our point of view and maybe it can be a work-related commitment. It is always advisable to take help from speech therapy experts and doctors who have ways through which this impairment can be rectified and fixed in a way where it is unnoticeable. Based on the impairment there are techniques and ways that help in overcoming this obstacle. This type of speech impairment is different from most other complex forms like Aphasia (Unable to read and speak), Dysarthria (where the person is characterized by slow speech), etc.
There is yet to be a 100% cure for speech impairment, but it can be subsided and reduced to a certain extent. With the recent growth of home care services, at-home speech therapy experts and doctors are available who can provide care and therapy at home itself. People overcoming this require constant support and confidence from family members and loved ones. In conclusion, Support, Love, Therapy & Practice can help overcome speech impairment and ensure daily communication is made easier and more fluent.
