Debunking The Myths About Speech Therapy For Adults

You’ve may have heard of speech therapy before.

But do you know exactly what it’s all about?

We’re Voz Speech Therapy, an adult speech therapist in Washington DC with a passion for helping people rediscover their voices.

There’s a lot of myths surrounding speech therapy, and today we’d like to debunk some of the most common ones.

Is speech therapy just for kids?

Do speech therapists only work with speech?

These are just some of the myths that’ll be debunked in this article.

Keep reading to find out more.

MYTH: It’s Too Late For Speech Therapy Once You’re An Adult

There’s a lot of talk surrounding speech therapy for kids.

Perhaps that’s why people think that adults cannot benefit from speech therapy.

But the truth is that most speech therapists work with people of all ages.

What’s The Truth?

Speech therapy for adults often takes longer than speech therapy for children, but that doesn’t make it any less effective.

Children typically progress more quickly in speech therapy because they haven’t been following the same speech and language patterns for as many years as adults.

So, if you’re an adult that’s looking to begin speech therapy, you can expect to be at it longer than you would if you were a child.

However, speech therapy can help you all the same.

MYTH: If You Need Speech Therapy, You’ll Need It For The Rest Of Your Life

If you’re beginning speech therapy, you might be worried that you’ll have to be in therapy for the rest of your life.

But you’ll be happy to hear that speech therapy is far from a life long commitment.

What’s The Truth?

Unfortunately, speech therapy can sometimes take a while.

But eventually you’ll reach a point where you’ve improved enough that speech therapy has offered all that it can.

The duration of therapy is different for everyone and depends on their specific strengths and limitations.

MYTH: Speech Therapy Is A One Size Fits All Approach

Wouldn’t it be great if a single speech therapy technique worked for every client, regardless of their specific limitations?

Unfortunately, speech therapy just doesn’t work like that.

What’s The Truth?

There are several reasons why someone might begin speech therapy.

For instance, some people need speech therapy due to a physical reason, such as issues with the muscles and soft tissues in the mouth.

Other people seek out speech therapy for non physical reasons, such as stuttering due to social anxiety.

In each of these examples, the type of speech therapy techniques used will be different.

Your speech therapist will evaluate your strengths and limitations to determine which techniques might work best for you.

MYTH: Speech Therapy Is Only For Speech

If you think that speech therapy is only for speech, you’re certainly not alone.

The term “speech therapy” is somewhat of a misnomer.

In reality, speech isn’t the only thing that people go to speech therapy for.

What’s The Truth?

Speech therapists are qualified professionals capable of helping with a wide range of issues.

In fact, their full titles are actually speech language pathologists and they work not only with speech, but also with language, cognition, and feeding issues such as swallowing disorders.

Some of the conditions that can benefit from speech therapy include:

• Aphasia
• Craniofacial disorders, such as cleft palate
• Developmental disorders, such as autism and stuttering
• Dysarthria
• Dysphagia
• Voice disorders, such as vocal cord paralysis

MYTH: Speech Therapy Is Only For People Who Stutter

Stuttering is certainly a common complaint seen by speech therapists.

But like we discussed before, speech therapy can provide benefits for a wide variety of conditions.

What’s The Truth?

In addition to stuttering, speech therapy can be helpful for virtually anyone living with a speech and communication disorder.

For instance, children with cleft lip are often enrolled into speech therapy to help with language development both before and after surgery.

Another example is dysphagia, a condition which makes swallowing difficult.

If you’re living with dysphagia, a speech therapist can help you develop your swallowing and eating skills.

MYTH: Speech Therapy Is Only For Kids

Similar to the idea that speech therapy for adults is ineffective, the idea that speech therapy is only for kids is a myth.

What’s The Truth?

Just like kids, adults can experience difficulties with their speech, communication, and cognition.

Adults often begin speech therapy due to a sudden onset of difficulties caused by injury.

For instance, speech therapists frequently work with clients living with apraxia, a brain injury that affects your ability to produce speech and sound.

Additionally, some adults begin speech therapy due to disease, such as a stroke.

As you can see, speech therapy is certainly not just for kids.

Book Your Appointment With Voz Speech Therapy Today

At Voz Speech therapy, we are committed to debunking speech therapy myths to make our services more accessible.

Are you interesting in finding out more about our services?

Book an appointment with Voz Speech Therapy today to get started.