The 6 main branches of Speech Therapy

A summary of the branches and career opportunities in speech therapy, with their characteristics.

The ability to communicate effectively and efficiently is something essential in a gregarious and social being like the human being. Communicating serves us to transfer and express our thoughts, knowledge, emotions and intentions to the rest of the world, and its correct emission and reception can have a great effect in the social sphere.

We learn to speak, read and write throughout our lives, but for various reasons sometimes this learning is not done properly or is influenced or altered by some kind of problem. That is why it is necessary that there are professionals who contribute to improve the situation of those whose skills have been altered or reduced.

One of the professionals in charge of this is the speech therapy field. However, this discipline covers a large number of different populations and situations, something that makes that in practice we can observe different branches of speech therapy. Let's see what they are.

What is Speech Therapy?

Before entering to focus on the different branches or outlets that can have the speech therapy, it is pertinent to make a brief mention to what is the speech therapy and what is its objective.

Speech therapy is a scientific discipline of sanitary and socio-sanitary character which is dedicated to the study of the speech and human communication and the set of organs and elements of the human body linked to these functions. Although communication is one of its main objectives, it also works with aspects such as breathing, ingestion or even auditory perception.

It is a branch of science that aims to prevent, detect and diagnose, evaluate and treat oral communication disorders and problems, as well as to enhance and optimize these as well as to enhance and optimize these skills at the oral-phonatory level.

Thus we are dealing with a discipline that, although based on firm theoretical foundations, focuses especially on the practical exercise of its functions in different contexts, in a welfare manner.

Although speech therapy is a health discipline, it must be taken into account that the people who practice as such are not doctors, but professionals trained directly in this sector. This implies that the speech therapist does not prescribe drugs or carry out medical or surgical interventions, but carries out his or her professional activity from a fundamentally behavioral, educational and psycho-pedagogical perspective.

Some of the techniques used are speech therapies, the practice of bucco-phonatory exercises and learning psychoeducational guidelines. focused on the improvement and/or rehabilitation of the subject's expressive/comprehensive abilities. Elements such as articulation, posture, resonance, voice projection or rhythmicity are worked on.

Likewise, although speech therapy is socially identified as a profession focused on children, the truth is that this is not the only area of work.

It can work with people of all ages and conditions, such as adults with aphasia or communication problems that may come from diseases or brain injuries, acquired problems or that have not been treated in youth (for example dysphemia or stuttering) or even in dementia (in which it helps to maintain and preserve language functions).

Different branches of Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is a profession that focuses as we have seen in the functioning of the audiophonatory and maxillofacial system and specifically in language and communication (although it can also work on aspects such as breathing and chewing).

But the truth is that not all speech therapy professionals are responsible for or focus on all aspects of this profession and / or all types of population: there are several specializations and branches of speech therapy, some of which we will see below.some of which we will see below.

1. Infantile speech therapy

As we have indicated above, language and communication problems do not occur only in childhood, but even so, the stage of child and adolescent development is not the only one in which speech and communication problems occur. the stage of infantile and adolescent development is one of those that receives greater attention and one of the best known branches or specializations.

In this sense, speech therapy professionals who specialize in this sector of the population usually deal with cases of dysphasia, articulation problems or dyslalia, whether they have an organic cause (e.g. cleft lip) or are functional (learning and psychological causes).

It is common for them to deal with cases of specific language disorder, stuttering or dyslexia, or even to work with children who have a specific language disorder.or even work with children suffering from problems such as autism, adhd or intellectual disability (at the oral-phonatory and communication level). Their role is usually of a preventive nature to avoid possible problems or even to diminish the affectation that a language alteration may have throughout its development.

2. School speech therapy

One of the areas in which language and communication problems are usually detected is at school. In this sense, it is essential and of great interest to that there are psycho-pedagogues and speech therapists who can evaluate the child's language, language development, or incorporate individualized plans or specific programs that can help improve the child's situation.In this case, it is also common for professionals to focus on problems such as dyslalia, mutism, dysphonia, stuttering or stammering.

In this case it is also common for professionals to focus on problems such as dyslalia, mutism, dysphonia, stuttering or dyslexia. Also in intellectual disability or autism. Last but not least, the school speech-language pathologist may have to evaluate and enhance the oral communication skills of children. oral communication skills of children with sensory disabilities, especially in the case of deafness..

3. Clinical speech therapy

Another of the main branches of speech therapy, now removed from the school environment, is clinical speech therapy. In this sense, in addition to minors, clinical speech therapists often work with adults with speech problems, especially in the case of deafness. often work with adults with problems of expression or articulation of words..

Among the different difficulties they may encounter, they may have to treat people with slurred speech (for example due to anxiety problems), speech problems resulting from psychopathologies (for example in the case of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia), stuttering, nervous or muscular diseases, brain injuries, tumors, paralysis or even dementia.

4. Geriatric speech therapy

Another age group that may require speech therapy attention is the elderly.

With age, the faculties for expression and communication may diminish.. It is also common for neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia or stroke to appear at this age, which means that in practice it is not uncommon for professionals in this sector to work with problems similar to those of neurologopedics (although in this case they do not always have to be faced with a neurological disease).

5. Neurologopedia

This branch or specialty of speech therapy incorporates in addition to the usual knowledge of general speech therapists knowledge referring to the functioning of the nervous system and various neurological affectations, as well as notions of neuropsychology.in addition to notions of neuropsychology.

Here the focus is on language difficulties resulting from specific neurological lesions or diseases, with the aim of improve the quality of life of patients and in the case of a neurodegenerative disorder, try to preserve their abilities as much as possible.

6. Speech therapist specializing in voice disorders and voice re-education

Speech therapy is usually associated with our oral communication, but within this category there are many aspects that can be worked on. Among them is the voice, which can be altered in people with aphonia or respiratory problems. in people with aphonia or respiratory problems among others, independently of its pronunciation or articulation. In this sense there is a specialization or branch of speech therapy focused on voice problems.

In addition to this, its services may be directed not to rehabilitate but to enhance the communicative resources of the users.. It is also a branch that usually treats as patients with professionals who rely heavily on their voice to perform their professional work. Presentadores, cantantes, diplomáticos o actores pueden ser algunos de los tipos de clientes que pueden requerir este tipo de servicios.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Pollens R. (2004). Role of the speech-language pathologist in palliative hospice care. J Palliat Med. 7 (5): 694 - 702.
• Richard G.J. (2011). The role of the speech-language pathologist in identifying and treating children with auditory processing disorder. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 42 (3): 241 - 245.