What Are the Benefits of Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy is a dedicated branch of healthcare that helps individuals of all ages improve communication, speaking, language, thinking, and/or swallowing skills. These are skills that people with typical health and development may take for granted—but for individuals who are born with or later acquire certain health conditions, speech therapy can be an incredibly valuable resource.
Join us as we explore some meaningful and maybe surprising benefits of speech therapy for kids and adults.
Improves Performance in School, Work, and Daily Life
Health conditions that affect how a person thinks, speaks, eats, or understands others can be challenging and will often impact multiple areas of life, including:
- School or education
- Job or career
- Personal interests and hobbies
- Physical health and well-being
- Community involvement
- Social and family life
Perhaps the biggest benefit of speech therapy is that it helps individuals improve their performance in all these life areas. How? By addressing specific physical and/or cognitive challenges that currently serve as barriers to success.
For example:
- A speech therapist can help a child improve the strength and coordination of muscles involved in swallowing so they can enjoy a more diverse diet of foods, textures, and tastes
- A speech therapist can help a child develop their expressive and receptive language skills so they can interact and play with their peers
- A speech therapist can help an adult with a brain injury maximize their ability to communicate, perform work duties, manage bills, etc.
Whether your loved one needs oral-motor exercises, adaptive or compensatory techniques, or other interventions, a personally-tailored speech therapy treatment plan can help them achieve meaningful improvements in all these essential areas of life.
Improves Confidence and Self-Esteem
For a young child, teen, or adult, being able to speak clearly, participate in self-care activities, succeed academically or professionally, and interact with others will have a huge influence on their confidence and self-esteem!
By improving speech, language, thinking, and/or cognitive skills, speech therapy can help your loved one function more safely and effectively. Not only can this improve their quality of life, but it can also give them a greater sense of agency, accomplishment, and independence.
Supports Satisfying Relationships
Building healthy relationships with other people depends heavily on one’s ability to:
- Express needs and be understood by others
- Regulate emotions
- Develop proficiency in cognitive skills like memory, attention, and decision-making
- Recognize and respond to the needs and emotions of others
- Recognize and interpret non-verbal language, including body language, eye contact, and vocal tone
- Adapt to changing environments and routines
Speech therapy can help your loved one optimize all of these abilities, allowing them to nourish and enjoy fulfilling relationships throughout their life.
Ready to Give Speech Therapy a Try?
If you’re interested in meeting with a speech therapist or would like to find out if speech therapy is a good fit for yourself or your loved one, call Therapeutic Potentials, Inc. at 941-758-3140. We proudly work with individuals and their caregivers from Sarasota, Bradenton, and Lakewood Ranch, and surrounding Florida communities. Contact us or call today to schedule an appointment or to learn more about our diverse range of therapy services for adults and kids.
