Speech therapy is a type of treatment meant to help those who have trouble communicating and speaking. Both children and adults can go to speech therapists for treatment for all sorts of different speech issues, from stuttering to articulation to auditory processing issues to speech disorders from injury, illness, or childhood development, and more. 

Many people think of speech therapy as something for kids, however, anyone who has trouble speaking may benefit from speech therapy regardless of their age. While anyone can go to speech therapy, pediatric speech therapy and adult speech therapy vary in their tactics and techniques. 

Here, we’ll go over some of the key differences between pediatric speech therapy and adult speech therapy so that you can better understand how speech therapy changes as you get older. Let’s get into it!

#1. Speech Therapy Goals Vary

Pediatric speech therapy and adult speech therapy can vary as the reasons why children and adults go to therapy differ. This is because children usually receive treatment while they are still growing and developing, but adults are fully grown. Adults usually go to speech therapy if they didn’t receive it as a child, if an illness or injury impacted their speech, or if it became necessary due to aging. 

Pediatric speech therapy helps kids who are still learning how to communicate and speak, while adult speech therapy helps adults improve or maintain existing communication skills. 

#2.  Knowing Why They Need Sessions

Children may not know why they’re going to speech therapy, depending on their age. Pediatric speech therapy typically involves play and may feel like additional schooling. Parents and caregivers may be involved in the child’s therapy sessions and the speech therapy gives them exercises and behaviors to focus on at home to help the child progress. Children may not be motivated to practice their skills without help.

Older kids may understand the purpose of their speech therapy sessions, especially if they’ve had their speech/communication issues pointed out to them. This is like adult speech therapy, as adults realize their diagnosis, why they’re there, and are dedicated to achieving their goals. Adults can independently take themselves to sessions and hold themselves accountable for practicing. 

#3. Causes Of Speech Problems

When parents consider pediatric speech therapy, it’s typically because their children are struggling with developmental delays in learning how to talk and communicate. Adults, on the other hand, usually go to speech therapy if their speech has been impacted by an injury or illness, such as a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or degenerative disease.

Of course, both pediatric speech therapy and adult speech therapy can help with a whole host of speech-related problems, from developmental delays to disorders. Many adults go to speech therapy to try to neutralize an accent, improve their speech clarity, think of/pronounce words better, speech volume, and more. 

While many speech problems begin in childhood, hence how many think of pediatric speech therapy as the only speech therapy, these problems left untreated can extend into adulthood. Adults can also suffer from issues like disorders that emerge over time. 

#4. Duration Of Therapy

Pediatric speech therapy and adult speech therapy can vary in how long the person is in therapy for. The duration of therapy for people of all ages depends on the severity of the issue and how dedicated the person is to working on it. Speech therapy for kids tends to last for a few months, but can last several years.

Speech therapy for adults very much depends on the problem the person is struggling with and how they respond to treatment. Motivation plays a significant role in how long both kids and adults are in therapy for. Adults are generally more motivated to take an active role in their treatment while kids typically require support and encouragement. 

#5. Types Of Treatment

We touched on this before, but this is one of the most significant differences between pediatric speech therapy and adult speech therapy. Pediatric speech therapy generally involves play-based activities with lots of visual aids and parental involvement. Adult speech therapy, on the other hand, utilizes more complex tasks and strategies. 

Do You Need Speech Therapy?

Both children and adults can benefit from speech therapy. The effectiveness of the treatment depends on how dedicated the person and applicable caretakers are to working on it.

Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy provides speech therapy services throughout Northern Utah. Contact us today to learn more about how our speech therapists can help you or your children.

Lisps are a type of speech condition most commonly seen in children, although adults can have lisps too. Generally, if a child has a lisp, they should grow out of it by the age of 5. However, there are cases when a lisp can persist. Depending on what causes a lisp, treatment methods vary. A speech therapist can help people overcome lisps. 

Here’s what you need to know about what causes a lisp, how common they are, and how a speech therapist can help. 

What Is A Lisp?

A lisp is when someone struggles to pronounce /s/ and /z/ sounds. Instead of saying sleep or zip, a person may say “theep” or “thip”. 

Lisps are very common, affecting about 23% of people. They are most often seen during the developmental stages of childhood, as a child is learning how to talk. Children can grow out of lisps, usually by the age of 5. If a lisp continues past the age of 5, it’s recommended to enlist the help of a speech therapist. 

What Causes A Lisp?

Depending on what type of lisp a person has, what causes a lisp can vary. Generally, lisps are caused by incorrect tongue placement for the type of sound that you are trying to make. This can be either learned or the result of a tongue-tie or tongue-thrust. 

There are a few other things that can end up causing a lisp. Lisps can be caused by dental problems, such as overbites and narrow dental arches. They can be caused by jaw misalignment, as well as anatomical factors, such as an enlarged tongue. 

If your lisp is caused by anatomical or dental issues, a medical or dental professional can help you with the issue. Then, a speech therapist can help you learn how to properly pronounce /s/ and /z/ sounds. If your lisp is the result of tongue placement, a speech therapist can teach you how to overcome it. 

If a child does not learn proper tongue placement and movement, lisps can continue into adulthood. No matter your age, a lisp can be treated.

Types Of Lisps

There are four main types of lisps.

• Frontal lisps are the most common type of lisp. These lisps tend to be caused by someone pushing their tongue too far forward. The tongue can end up coming out of your mouth while you are trying to speak, affecting the way your speech sounds.
• Dental lisps are very similar to frontal lisps. However, instead of the tongue poking out of the mouth, it pushes against your front teeth. This blocks airflow, which affects the sound of speech.
• Lateral lisps tend to sound wet, like there’s too much saliva in your mouth. This is because the air ends up moving over the sides of your tongue, due to the sides of the tongue being raised. 
• Palatal lisps occur when your tongue pushes up against the soft palate (roof) of your mouth. This is the least common type of lisp. 

Are Lisps Normal?

In children under the age of 5, lisps can be a normal part of learning how to talk. However, if lisps persist past the age of 5, your child likely needs the help of a speech therapist in order to learn how to pronounce sounds correctly.

Frontal lisps especially are common due to how children lose their baby teeth. When they lose their front teeth, their tongue can end up pushing through the empty space, causing them to lisp. 

Lateral and palatal lisps, however, are not normal. If you or your child have either of these types of lisps, you will want to have it assessed by a speech therapist. 

In cases where lisps are the result of a tongue-tie, a simple surgery to cut the tie can resolve the issue. If there are anatomical or dental problems contributing to the lisp, you’ll want to see professionals in these fields.

How Does A Speech Therapist Help With Lisps?

If you or your child have a lisp, speech therapists can help you correct it with personal treatment sessions. Your speech therapist will help you both in sessions and by providing you with exercises you can do on your own at home. It is important to be patient when trying to correct a lisp, as it can take a few months to learn proper tongue movement and placement and for it to become muscle memory.

When you get speech therapy for a lisp, you can expect:

• To observe a demonstration of proper tongue placement.
• Instructions on how to place your tongue. 
• Exercises that control speech muscles and practice target sounds. 

The goal of speech therapy is to make you more aware of your speech and to help you practice saying words and phrases correctly. Your speech therapist will start off with simple words and phrases and make them harder as you improve.

For children, speech therapy includes games in order to make it fun and to reinforce what’s being learned. 

If your speech therapist suspects underlying issues contributing to your lisp, like a misaligned jaw, they can recommend that you see professionals who can help with those specific issues. 

Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy provides professional speech therapy services. If you are wondering what causes a lisp you’re struggling with or if you or your loved ones have other speech conditions you want treatment for, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Adults can face a lot of challenges with communication and their speech. However, since speech therapy is often thought of as something for children to help them overcome a speech impediment, many people don’t realize adult speech therapy both exists and can help them. The idea that you can be too old for speech therapy and that once you’re fully grown, you talk how you talk, isn’t true. Adult speech therapy can be very effective for any speech-related issue you may be facing. 

There’s never any shame in reaching out for help when you need it. Adult speech therapy exists to ensure that people of all ages can get the help that they need in order to communicate more clearly and work through speech issues. Here’s what you need to know about adult speech therapy, issues adults see speech therapists for, and how effective adult speech therapy can be. Let’s dive in!

Issues Adult Speech Therapy Can Help With

Many speech problems can begin in childhood, it’s true. However, left untreated, these can extend into adulthood, impacting your ability to communicate with others. Additionally, adults can suffer from speech or language disorders that emerge over time. 

Adult speech therapy can help with a whole host of speech-related issues, such as:

• Speech impediments
• Difficulty thinking of or pronouncing words
• Wanting to neutralize an accent to be better understood
• Voice disorders
• Stuttering and fluency disorders
• Speech clarity
• Aphasia and stroke rehabilitation
• Poor vocal quality
• Rapid speech with mumbling
• Speaking either too softly or too loudly
• And more

What Conditions Can Cause Adults To Need Speech Therapy?

Perhaps you spoke clearly and confidently as a child, but then something happened that affected your speech. This commonly occurs as a result of an injury of some sort, such as a stroke, a brain injury, a jaw injury, and more. 

Some of the conditions that can cause an adult to seek out speech therapy include:

• Cognitive communication disorders. This is when you struggle to communicate as a result of suffering a brain injury or a neurological condition. 
• Expressive disorders. These are when you struggle to express yourself and convey information in the way you want to, as can happen after experiencing head trauma or as a result of a developmental impairment. 
• Fluency disorders. This is when your speech is interrupted by stuttering or cluttering (quick talking that blends words together).
• Receptive disorders. This is when you struggle to understand what people are saying to you, usually as a result of a head injury, autism, or hearing loss.
• Resonance disorders. This is when something obstructs your airflow in your nasal or oral cavities, which can happen with neurological disorders and issues such as cleft palate. These can alter the quality of your voice. 

There are many different reasons why someone would seek out adult speech therapy. Impaired speech can greatly impact your self-esteem and confidence. Fortunately, adult speech therapy can help you improve your speech and language skills, and ergo, your confidence and quality of life. 

How Does Adult Speech Therapy Work?

Adult speech therapy starts off with an evaluation to uncover the cause of your speech issues, to assess your current issues, and to learn what your goals are. Depending on your specific issues and goals, the therapy you receive can vary. 

In general, speech therapists use the following treatments:

• Target selection. This is when you target specific sounds you’re struggling with, such as if you have a lisp.
• Contextual selection. This is when you break up works into smaller parts in order to relearn word structure, as can be necessary after a brain injury.
• Contrast therapy. This is when your speech therapist has you practice pairs of words that sound similar so that you can make distinctions between them.
• Oral-motor therapy. This is when you work with your facial and oral muscles in order to improve your speech and language skills. 

Your speech therapist will come up with a treatment plan specific to you and can modify it to your needs as they evaluate your progress. 

How Long Does Adult Speech Therapy Last?

It’s common for people to assume that the more severe the speech issue, the longer you’ll be in speech therapy. However, speech therapy very much depends on you doing the exercises and practicing what your speech therapist asks you too outside of your sessions. If you only practice your skills in your sessions, you will still improve, but it will take you much longer. How long you are in speech therapy depends on how dedicated you are to putting in the work.

It is important to note that while speech therapy can improve your speech, it cannot always resolve all speech issues. However, it can help with your communication and boost your confidence. 

Are You Looking For Adult Speech Therapy?

Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy provides expert speech therapy sessions that can help you communicate with and understand the world better. To learn more about speech therapy or to schedule an appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!