It's Better Hearing and Speech Month

It’s finally May and that means it’s not only a season of colors and growth, but it’s Better Hearing and Speech Month! We love this time of year because we understand the pivotal role that communication plays across every lifespan. Join us as we celebrate how therapy helps people of all ages with hearing and speech impairments!

Early Intervention

As babies enter the world, they immediately begin to use their five senses.. Many parents look forward to hearing their child’s first words and the ability to see them develop throughout infancy into adulthood. They do this by listening and interaction. It is essential to human development. However, for those who have less ability to process these interactions, early interventions of therapy is essential to creating a strong foundation of communication throughout the lifespan.

Speech therapists are able to implement helpful interventions as soon as the disorder is discovered. They may do this in a group or one-on-one setting. Some ways they help children are through:

Language Activities: This might be something simple such as reaching books to model correct pronunciation.

Oral Therapy: Therapy techniques in this area are more hands-on in order to stimulate proper motion. This may include interventions to strengthen the muscles of the mouth and throat.

Total Communication Therapy: This combines sign and spoken language techniques to help the patient.
Articulation Therapy: The therapist takes a direct approach with this method by practicing different phonics sounds that are fitting to what each child will need to know at his or her age.

Mid Life Intervention

Although less common, there are some who find themselves losing their ability to hear or speak in adulthood due to an illness or injury. They may also be individuals who are continuing therapy they did in their childhood. For example, an adult who has a stroke may need to relearn how to swallow or they may have completely lost the ability to hear. A therapist can even help them refine the skills they need to gain employment.

Older Adult Intervention

As everyone ages, our mind and body aren’t able to continue communicating at the same level as it might have when we were children. It may even be due to the higher likelihood of illness or injury, but hearing and speech function can be of a particular challenge to some. Therapists can help train older adults on how to use assistive devices for communication such as a hearing aid or cochlear implant. Older adults want to be able to enjoy their golden years, whether it be time spent with grandchildren or traveling the country.

Communication is essential to every aspect of our life and having quality interactions at every stage in life is pivotal to human fulfillment. Speech-language therapists are able to help patients bridge gaps in their communication with concentrated care tailored to their needs and goals. Early intervention is incredibly important. Learn more about how we support therapists all over the country with NARA. Happy Better Hearing & Speech Month!