Speech therapy is a service provided by speech-language pathologists to help individuals with speech, language or communication problems.


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Who is a speech-language pathologist?

A speech-language pathologist is a qualified professional who conducts assessments, makes diagnoses, plans and treats individuals with speech, language or communication problems.

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Who needs speech therapy?

A speech language pathologist works with both children and adults. The following individuals will benefit from having speech therapy:

• infants or children at risk of developing communication problems (hearing impaired cleft lip and/or palate, genetic or chromosomal abnormalities,    Cerebral palsy, etc)
• children who are still not talking at the age of 1 ½ years old.
• children who talk but their output is like a younger child (as compared to peers of the same age)
• children who have communication problems caused by other developmental problems such as attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, autism, etc.
• individuals with unclear speech caused by difficulty in pronouncing a particular or a few speech sounds.
• individuals who are slow at acquiring or learning new language skills.
• individuals with a stuttering problem
• individuals with voice disorders such as rough and straining voice, talking at the upper or lower end of the pitch range,
• individuals who have suffered a stroke or brain injury and are unable to communicate as before.
• individuals who had difficulty in talking due to surgery or radiation at the throat area (i.e cancer of the larynx, tongue etc)
• individuals with feeding or swallowing problems (cerebral palsy, individuals on feeding tubes, those with medical complications etc)

This also includes babies born with a cleft lip and palate.

• individuals who may not develop speech but will benefit from other forms of communication

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What happens at an assessment session?

On your first visit to a speech-language pathologist, an assessment session will be carried out to determine the existence and type of the communication problem, identify the language level and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the individual's speech and language skills.

Once the problem and the weaknesses have been identified, a special individualized program will be planned to help improve the individual's speech and language skills. Usually, parents or caregivers are encouraged to be involved in all the therapy sessions so that they can learn and carry-out the therapy goals at home.

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What can I expect from a speech therapy session?

Before you start your session, your speech-language pathologist will:

• take a history from you to obtain specific information regarding your concerns
• brief you on the assessment or activities planned.

At the end of an assessment session, you will be consulted on:

• the diagnosis or type of the communication problem.
• the existence of other related problems and the need to consult the other professionals.
• further speech therapy management based on the individual's performance level.

At the end of a therapy session, you will be consulted on:

• the individual's performance.
• what to practice at home and how to do it.

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Who do Speech Language Pathologists collaborate with?

Speech-language pathologists work alongside:

• Audiologists
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational therapists
• Medical Specialists such as Ear Nose & Throat consultants, Neurologists, Paediatricians, Psychiatrists etc
• Psychologists
• Special education teachers
• Mainstream schools and kindergartens
• Rehabilitation set ups


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Where can I find a Speech Language Pathologist in Malaysia?

In Malaysia , you will find them working in the private practice, at schools, centres, hospitals and university clinics. To obtain a list of qualified practitioners, you can contact the Malaysian Association of Speech-language and Hearing (MASH) at mash1995@yahoo.com . A link to their website is provided in our LINKS page. speecHelp™ also provides speech therapy services.

If you need further information on speech therapy, do feel free to write to us at enquiry@speechelp.com


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