What is the purpose of speech therapy? How much does a speech therapist charge in Kolkata?

Our speech is our way to communicate with the world. Speech therapy is the specialized treatment for any problem related to speaking. Speech difficulty is a vast term and it incorporates varies types of problems. The main categorization related to speech therapy are:

• ✓ Delayed speech (delayed speech milestones): Development of speech is one important part of child’s overall development. There are certain age range, when one child is expected to start babbling, utter 1 word, sentences. The usual speech milestones are:
  
  

  Age	Expected Speech Milestones
  3 months	Coos and smiles
  6 months	Babbles
  12 months	1-2 words
  18 months	1-2 word phrases
  2 years -3 years	Vocabulary of 100 words, using pronouns like I, Me, You., using small sentences

  When a child face difficulty reaching these milestones at proper age, speech therapy might be required. The common reason behind delayed speech milestones are: low Intellectual Quotient (IQ), Autism Spectrum Disorder, hearing impairment.
• ✓ Pronunciation disorders: One of the prominent reason for seeking speech therapy is the inability to properly form certain word sounds. A child with this speech disorder may drop, swap, distort, or add word sounds.
• ✓ Fluency disorders. Sometimes the flow, speed, and rhythm of speech are impaired. Stuttering, cluttering are common examples of fluency disorders.
• ✓ Resonance disorders. A resonance disorder occurs when a blockage or obstruction of regular airflow in the nasal or oral cavities alters the vibrations responsible for voice quality
• ✓ Speech Disorders due to brain Injuries/ stroke: Due to brain injuries, different aspects of speech get affected. Sometimes they have difficulty understanding others (receptive disorders) or expressing own thoughts (expressive disorder, Aphasia).

Also read: https://mpowerminds.com/blog/Why-Early-Intervention-in-Speech-Therapy-is-Important

So overall one should seek speech therapy in the following scenarios:

1. One child has delayed developmental milestones
2. When child or adolescents make repeating sounds, also called as stuttering
3. When child adds extra sounds or words while speaking
4. Distorts the original words while speaking
5. Has overall difficulties in understanding and expressing their thoughts due to brain injury or stroke

In case of children, speech therapy may take place in small groups, or individually, depending on the problem. Speech therapy exercises and activities vary depending on your child’s disorder, age, and needs. During speech therapy for children, play, interesting activities, picture and toys are used in the process of intervention. In case of adults, the first phase is assessment, based on which intervention strategies are planned. For brain injuries and stroke, restorative exercises are commonly used.

In Kolkata, the hospitals and multispecialty clinics have speech therapists. The cost of session varies from centre to centre. The average cost for seeking speech therapy is almost Rs 800 –Rs 2000/ session. The main concern while seeking special educators are:

• ✓ Degree / diploma in speech therapy or physiotherapy
• ✓ Years of experience working with children and adults
• ✓ Time given for each session
• ✓ Availability of pictures, games, instruments, proper space for speech therapy

Speech therapy can treat a broad range of speech and language delays and disorders in children and adults. With early intervention, speech therapy can improve communication and boost self-confidence.

You can avail speech therapy in Kolkata at the below address,

MPOWER - THE CENTRE (KOLKATA)

Unit N210A-211, 2nd Floor,
North Block, Ideal Plaza,
11/1, Sarat Bose Road
Kolkata 700020

+91 90735 55522

For enquiries, please visit here.

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