Speech and language therapists provide treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication. They also provide treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties eating, drinking and swallowing.
Speech and language therapists may use a wide range of different interventions, techniques and tools. For example they may create games which help individuals to communicate more effectively with other people or they may teach non-verbal children how to communicate using electronic devices or manual signing systems.
Speech and language therapists usually work as part of a multi-disciplinary team with other health care/education providers (such as occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, teachers and parents) to provide a package of care designed to meet the needs of the individual.
The evidence base for the different interventions, techniques and tools used by speech and language therapists varies enormously. For example, there is some high quality evidence to suggest that the Picture Exchange Communication System may help some autistic children who have limited verbal skills. However there is currently insufficient evidence to determine if sign language helps the same children to communicate more effectively. Because of this, we do not believe it is possible to provide a ranking for speech and language therapy as a whole.
However we believe that speech and language therapy may help some autistic individuals, especially when it is provided as one element of a combined, multi-component programme delivered by a multi-disciplinary team, and when that multi-component programme is personalised to the needs of the individual.
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Speech and language therapy can be used with anyone who is autistic.
According to NHS England (201?),
“Speech and language therapists provide life-changing treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing.”
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (201?),
“The goal of intervention [for individuals on the autism spectrum] is to improve social communication and other language impairments and modify behaviors to improve an individual's quality of life and increase social acceptance. Essential outcomes focus on improvements in social communication that affect the individual's ability to develop relationships, function effectively, and actively participate in everyday life.”
There have been various claims made for speech and language therapy as an intervention for autistic people. For example, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (201?),an SLP [speech and language pathologist]
“... will help your child understand, talk, read, and write. SLPs work with children on social skills too. They also work with children who don't talk at all. “
“An SLP may help your child:develop joint attention;play and get along with others;understand and use gestures to communicate;follow directions.
“An SLP will help your child understand and use words. Your child may learn toask and answer questions;ask for help;take turns in a conversation;start or stop a conversation.
“SLPs also work on reading and writing. Your child may learn tolook at books and tell stories;write letters, words, and sentences.”
Speech and language therapists work to assess, diagnose and develop a programme of care to maximize the communication skills of individuals who experience speech, language and other communication difficulties.
In practice, speech and language therapy involves more than just teaching an individual to speak. It may also involve teaching the individual how to understand and use
Speech and language therapists use a wide range of techniques and strategies. For example, they may teach non-verbal children how to use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) tools and systems. AAC tools and systems include electronic devices such as Voice Output Communication Aids, as well as communication systems, such as the Picture Exchange Communication System and various forms of signing.
Speech and language therapy usually takes place within or alongside mainstream or specialist educational provision. Sometimes speech and language therapist will be involved in establishing programmes such as TEACCH, the More than words programme etc.
Speech and language therapist work as a team with other education/health care providers, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, teachers and parents, to provide a package of care designed to meet the needs of the individual.
Treatment may take place in
In the UK, speech and language therapy is often incorporated into special education but funded via the NHS, which means that it is usually free. However it is also possible to pay privately.
In the USA many children are seen in private practice, which is generally funded through the family’s medical insurance. Children from birth to three who are identified as eligible for services are served by 0-3 agencies which may be funded by the state, or by non-profit agencies. In some states, parents are charged fees on a sliding scale for these services. Some parents also supplement state-provided 0-3 services, which are often minimal, with private services. From 3-21, local school systems are required to provide services. However, again, eligibility standards vary and services are not always adequate. Some parents continue to supplement with private therapy.
The rates for private therapy vary widely depending upon the service offered.
The length of treatment varies from individual to individual because some children may improve much faster than others. Those with more serious or ongoing problems may take longer to help i.e. many years.
Sessions vary in length but usually last about 30 to 50 minutes. Sessions are held on a regular basis, often weekly.
The time required will depend on the needs of the individual receiving the therapy and on how the therapist prefers to work.
There are no significant adverse affects of speech and language therapy.
There are no known contraindications (something which makes a particular treatment or procedure potentially inadvisable) for speech and language therapy. However it may not be beneficial for an individual to be receiving too many therapies, or those which use contrasting approaches, simultaneously. Advice should be sought from the respective therapists/medical professionals.
Speech and language therapists are widely available in Europe and the USA.
In the UK, you can either contact local speech and language therapy services directly yourself or your GP can refer you. Alternatively you contact The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists or the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice.
In the USA speech and language therapy is relatively easy to obtain because it is an intervention mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), although some parents do experience problems.
In the UK and some other countries, practitioners are graduates who have undergone specific training and are usually called Speech and Language Therapists. In the UK they have to be registered with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and also the Health and Care Professions Council. These organisations are charged with ensuring that training and working practices are fully maintained.
In the USA and some other countries practitioners are sometimes called Speech Language Pathologists. In the US, different states have different requirements. For example, in some states, SLPs that work in schools may have only a bachelor’s degree. In most states, though, SLPs must have a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. In order to earn national certification, they must, in addition, pass a national examination called the certificate of clinical competence (therapists who have done this will add SLP-CCC to their signatures) and complete a clinical fellowship year in which they are supervised in the year following qualification by a senior clinician.
In the USA the national regulatory body is the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. In addition, some states require therapists to have a license. In most states, national certification automatically meets licensing requirements.
Speech and language therapy (known as speech and language pathology in the USA) began in 18th century England. The focus of the treatment was on elocution - teaching people to speak ‘properly’.
In the USA, the American Academy of Speech Correction was founded in 1925 to promote scientific, organised work in the field of speech correction. It changed its name several times in the following decades, becoming known as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 1978.
In the UK, the College of Speech Therapists was founded in 1945 to promote the art and science of speech and language therapy. It changed its name to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in 1995.
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