Speech Therapy and Learning Disabilities

I will be teaching speech therapy in an elementary school. Speech therapy is a common treatment for many school-aged children with language realted learning disabilities. Areas affected include: speaking, reading, spelling, and writing. In order for a child to be able to commlunicate clearly and efficiently with a learning disability, speech therapy may be necessary. These language difficulties tend to begin in childhood, when a child is unable to produce age-appropriate verbal and written abiilities. Some common signs of language based learning disabilities include: Expressing ideas clearly, as if the words needed are on the tip of the tongue but won't come out. What the child says can be vague and difficult to understand (e.g., using unspecific vocabulary, such as "thing" or "stuff" to replace words that cannot be remembered), filler words like "um" may be used to take up time while the child tries to remember a word, learning new vocabulary that the child hears (e.g., taught in lectures/lessons) and/or sees (e.g., in books), understanding questions and following directions that are heard and/or read, recalling numbers in sequence (e.g., telephone numbers and addresses), understanding and retaining the details of a story's plot or a classroom lecture, reading and comprehending material , learning words to songs and rhymes, telling left from right, making it hard to read and write since both skills require this directionality, letters and number, learning the alphabet, identifying the sounds that correspond to letters, making learning to read difficult, mixing up the order of letters in words while writing, mixing up the order of numbers, that are a part of math calculation spelling, memorizing the times tables, and telling time.

Many variables must be considered when determining what actually occurs at a speech therapy session. This includes the time of the session, the location, private vs. group, age of individual, and the difficulties faced by the individuals. For example, individuals who have trouble sounding out words will likely engage in tapping, clapping or rhyming activities. Individuals who have difficulties with following a plot line or comprehending the meaning of a paragraph or story will work on this skill during therapy sessions. A student with a speaking/listening impairment might listen to a story then retell it or reinact the story through a timeline. Treatment targets specific aspects of reading, writing, etc. that the student is missing.

Technology used include: phonics based reading programs, graphic organizers, portable word processors, and software programs. However, what may work great for one student, may not be as effective for another. The age of student, severity of disability, and willingness to use device all impact the sucessfulness of the device.

"Speech Therapy and Learning Disabilities." 16 Mar. 2009.