An Analytical Study of Relationship between Childhood Speech Therapy and Language Development

Abstract

Speech and language therapy plays an important role in addressing communication disorders. It is particularly crucial during the early language development (ELD) phase, as timely intervention leads to improved outcomes. However, in developing countries such as Pakistan, awareness regarding speech therapy remains limited, especially concerning its impact during the ELD. In this study, children were categorized into two groups: one comprising 50% typically developing children with language delay (LD) and other consisting of 50% children with LSD and special needs. Each group was further divided into control and experimental subgroups. The experimental subgroups underwent targeted interventions designed to enhance specific perceptual skills, whereas the control subgroups continued with standard therapy as a baseline for comparison. Post treatment evaluations were conducted to measure the effectiveness of these treatments. The findings indicated significant improvement in the perception, recognition, discrimination, and expression of nouns among children in the experimental group. This research highlights the efficacy of structured intervention programs in speech therapy and underscores the importance of early intervention for children experiencing language development delays.

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