Interdisciplinary Therapeutic Center of Thessaloniki - Lydia Papadimou - Speech Therapy - Occupational Therapy - Psychological Support

Speech Therapy
Interdisciplinary Therapeutic Center of Thessaloniki - Papadimou Lydia

Speech therapy is the science that has as its subject the study, research and application of scientific knowledge about Human Communication - Voice, Speech, Speech (oral, written), non-verbal communication - and its disorders, as well as disorders of swallowing movements of the oropharynx.

In particular it deals with disorders:
• Speech (verbal and non-verbal)
• Speech
• Communication
• Voice
• Feeding and swallowing

Speech therapists provide specialized services to people with the following disorders:

Developmental speech disorders
Joint disorders
Phonological disorders
Dysarthria
Disturbances in the flow of speech (stuttering, slurring)
Developmental language disorders
Specific Language Disorder
Language difficulties due to mental retardation
Hard of hearing - deafness
Language Use Disorders - Pragmatic Disorders (Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Semantic - Pragmatic Disorder)
Learning difficulties
Feeding and swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
Voice disorders
Craniofacial anomalies
Head and neck surgery (laryngectomy)
Neurogenic disorders and syndromes
Strokes - aphasias
Craniocerebral injuries
Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease




	The purpose of speech therapy is: • Prevention • The prognosis • The diagnosis • Treatment/rehabilitation • The scientific study of speech, speech, voice, feeding and communication disorders. • Informing the general public, education and health professionals about the science of Speech Therapy. The main areas it examines are three: Speech: the ability to connect sounds for the articulation of words, smooth rhythm and correct voice quality. Speech: the ability to perceive and express words - concepts that a person hears in his environment and the ability to connect these words to form sentences and use them appropriately. It is based on the proper functioning and coordination of the breathing, vocalization, resonance and articulation systems. Children with speech problems may have difficulties understanding commands, questions, instructions, etc. as understanding precedes expression. Communication: is the exchange of information, ideas and feelings between people. Prerequisites for proper communication are the abilities to understand and express spoken and written language. There are two forms of communication: verbal and non-verbal. Verbal is any communication effort we make using words and sentences, while non-verbal is that which is done with style, tone, mood, gestures and generally physical and emotional behavior.

When is it good to consult a speech therapist?

• Absence of speech until the age of about 2 years
• Use of vowels to replace syllables e.g. aato instead of ice cream
• Use of one-word answers
• Limited vocabulary compared to peers
• Does not follow simple commands e.g. (give the game) and complex commands e.g. (put the ball in the basket) according to his age
• Does not answer questions but repeats them, e.g. question "did you go to school?" – answer "did you go to school?"
• Does not understand the meaning of the adverbs above, below, behind, in front, etc.
• Confuses the leaves- genera e.g. he says "he's gone" referring to his sister
• Blockages in speech e.g. mmmm-mom
• Repetition of syllables e.g. papapa - ice cream
• Excessively fast rate of speech
• It is not understood by unfamiliar persons
• Does not produce phonemes e.g. /σ/, /ρ/,/ξ/,/π/etc.
• Replaces phonemes e.g. b says d, i says f
• Uses one-word phrases over the age of 2, e.g. instead of "I want a ride" he says "a ride"
• Makes frequent grammatical and expressive mistakes, e.g. instead of "yesterday I found" it says "yesterday I find"
• He does not use correct syntax in his expressive sentences
• Has difficulty simply recounting recent events
• You talk to him and he ignores you
• Does not react to noises
• Reacts too strongly to noises
• He does not understand what you say to him
• He does not use articles / adjectives in his speech
• Does not use plural
• Has difficulty with auditory discrimination and visual perception activities
• He doesn't look you in the eye when you talk to him
• His game is monotonous and repetitive
• Solitary game
• Does not live up to its name
• Does not imitate your facial movements and expressions
• Ignores the people around him and what is happening around him
• Repeats the same words and phrases over and over
• Refers to himself in the third person singular
• Has difficulty communicating his wishes
• Escape of food / drink from the lips
• Coughing during or immediately after swallowing food/drink
• Great effort or even more time when chewing or swallowing
• Avoid hard foods