This speech and language development isn’t new. It has been existing for years. However, despite that, there are still a lot of misconceptions about it that keep those who need it from seeking professional help. Some of these misconceptions include the following:

Myth 1: Speech therapy only focuses on one area such as articulation or stuttering.

This isn’t true. Speech therapists, professionals who have years of training and experience in implementing these speech programs, work to help clients with various problems in speech and language development. They specifically diagnose and treat a wide array of problems relating to speech, language, cognitive, and even swallowing.

They work with clients from different age groups including children with oral motor problems and adults who have speech problems as a result of an injury. They do not just work to help improve articulation or stuttering as they also work to help improve the use and understanding of language, communication and social skills, and cognitive skills like problem solving and attention. Many make use of technology these days to aid in the development of speech and language.

Myth 2: Speech therapy is only for children.

This is another misconception about speech therapy. What many people still don’t know is that speech therapists don’t just work with children. As mentioned above, they work with clients from different age groups including adults.

Speech therapists work with infants in intensive care units to help them with their swallowing. They work with school aged children for early development of speech and language skills and with adults to improve their cognitive skills especially after an injury. Speech therapists also work with geriatric patients to maintain their independence.

Myth 3: Individual therapy is always preferred.

When you ask someone what he/she thinks of speech therapy, he/she will mostly like have that perception of a child or an adult having one-on-one session with a speech therapist. While this works for others, this doesn’t really mean that individual therapy is always better or preferred. Some people can benefit from group therapy. These are those who need reinforcement from their peers. Hence, the style of speech therapy session depends on the client’s needs and learning style.

Myth 4: Speech therapy sessions are always longer.

Longer doesn’t always equate to being “better.” Some clients especially kids actually get tired or burn out with long sessions. The duration of every session depends on the client’s needs, learning style, and attention span.

Myth 5: Anyone can improve their speech and language on their own.

Speech therapists have spent years in training and experience to understand the science behind speech and language development. Unless you’re speech therapist, you cannot really improve your speech and language development on your own.