Speech Therapy

Speech Therapeutics or Speech Therapy, an intervention addressed to communication, language, speech and swallowing, first appeared in the United States of America (USA), meant for the rehabilitation of soldiers deployed to World War II and the Vietnam War. This therapy was aimed at recovering the lost faculties, particularly speech, in adult patients.

Nowadays, the scope of activity of a Speech Therapist (ST) is substantially larger, comprising all the alterations in Language, Communication and Interaction of patients from all age groups, as well as swallowing alterations and other related pathologies. This enlargement resulted in the extension of the patients’ clinical picture to other areas. Despite a constant evolution in the rehabilitation field, the speech therapist was called up to promote the integration of children suffering from communication, language and speech disorders. On the other hand, the Speech area was itself subdivided, with professionals specializing in Articulation, Voice or Vocal Loss, according to the departments they work for.

Nowadays we find STs in teams of Early Intervention, educational teams working with children and adolescents, (especially in Deaf nuclei and Multidisabilities Support units), in teams of rehabilitation of children/adults, and in specific areas such as Otolaryngology (hearing and voice disorders,…), Orthotics, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Plastic Surgery meant for the reconstruction of organs involved in speech delivery, Neurology, support centres to junior and senior populations, or in Long-term Care Units