Speech Therapy Malaysia: The Ins and Outs That You Need to Know

June 8, 2021
Speech Therapy Malaysia

Ever notice when someone stammers his/her words or tend to stutter when speaking? Chances are that he or she has speech and/or communication problems and may need to undergo speech therapy Malaysia to improve their communication.


Aside from helping with speech and/or communication problems, a speech therapist or speech-language pathologist (SLP) also help people with other kinds of problems such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and auditory processing disorder.


In this article, we discuss the symptoms of people who need speech therapy, the type of disorder that can be treated with speech therapy, how it works, the duration of speech therapy, and the benefits of speech therapy Malaysia.




What is speech therapy Malaysia?


Speech therapy is an assessment and treatment of communication problems and speech disorders. It works to improve the communication of individuals, from children to seniors, who have trouble with their speech, language, swallowing, and cognitive function. 


Also known as speech and language pathology, there are several techniques involved such as articulation therapy, language intervention activities, and others depending on the type of speech or language disorder.


For people who develop speech disorders during their childhood or speech impairments due to injury or illness such as stroke or brain injury, speech therapy Malaysia may just be what they need.




What are the tell-tale signs for speech therapy?


Generally, the symptoms of a person needing speech therapy vary widely depending on the cause and severity of the problem. That said, anyone can develop multiple speech and/or communication problems with different symptoms.


The symptoms include:


  • Speech
  • Problems with pronunciation
  • Lack of resonance
  • Voice problems
  • Stuttering
  • Language
  • Speech delays
  • Difficulty in sentence structuring
  • Struggling with conversational speech
  • Trouble following instructions
  • Swallowing
  • Struggling to swallow food or drink
  • Coughing up food or drink during meals
  • Spending more time during meals
  • Lodged food pieces in the throat




What can be treated with speech therapy?


Just like medical treatment, speech therapy Malaysia helps to improve a person’s speech and/or communication ability so that they can speak and communicate better. 


The following are several speech and/or communication problems that can be treated with speech therapy Malaysia:


  • Articulation disorder is the inability for someone to properly form certain word sounds by dropping, swapping, distorting, or adding word sounds. One example would be saying “thith” instead of “this”.
  • Fluency disorder affects the flow, speed, and rhythm of speech. A person who stutters often have trouble getting out a sound and may have speech that’s blocked or interrupted. Meanwhile, a person with cluttering often speaks very fast and merges words together.
  • Resonance disorder occurs when a blockage or obstruction of regular airflow in the nasal or oral cavities alters the vibrations responsible for voice quality. This disorder is often associated with cleft palate, neurological disorders, and swollen tonsils.
  • Receptive disorder is when a person has trouble understanding and processing what others say. This may cause you to seem uninterested when someone is speaking, have trouble following directions, or have a limited vocabulary.
  • Expressive disorder is the difficulty conveying or expressing information, causing the person to have trouble forming accurate sentences. Typically associated with developmental impairments, this disorder can also result from head trauma.
  • Cognitive-communication disorder is the difficulty communicating due to an injury to the part of the brain that controls your ability to think. It can also be caused by biological problems such as abnormal brain development.
  • Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that affects a person’s ability to speak and understand others. It can also affect their ability to read and write. Aphasia is typically caused by stroke.
  • Dysarthria is characterised by slow or slurred speech due to a weakness or inability to control the muscles used for speech. It’s usually caused by nervous system disorders and conditions that cause facial paralysis.




How does speech therapy Malaysia work?


Speech therapy usually begins with an assessment by an SLP, who will identify the type of speech and/or communication disorder and come up with the best way to treat it. At Well Rehab, the assessment includes a review of case history, patient/client/student and family interview, and review of auditory, visual, motor, and cognitive status.


After the assessment, an SLP will employ the relevant techniques and strategies during the therapy sessions. This includes strengthening the mouth muscles, demonstrating alternatives to move the tongue for articulation, and visual speech perception with repetitive language drills for memory strengthening.


Other methods include melodic intonation therapy where individuals can opt to sing instead of pronouncing the words.




How much time is needed for speech therapy Malaysia?


This depends on several factors such as age, type and severity of the speech and/or communication problem, frequency of therapy, underlying medical condition, and treatment of the underlying medical condition.




What are the benefits of speech therapy Malaysia?


The main goal of speech therapy is to improve the functional communication and cognitive skills of people with speech and/or communication problems. For children, it’ll help them to speak better, boost their confidence, and be less frustrated when it comes to speaking to others.


Meanwhile, for adults especially the elderly, it’ll help them to describe their needs better and inform where they may be hurting. Without effective communication, it can lead to miscommunication and worsen the situation.


Speech therapy isn’t a quick fix as it requires plenty of time and effort for the results to show. If your child is showing signs of speech and/or communication problems, best to seek early treatment so that he or she can make progress while their brains are still developing.




Choose Well Rehab as your trusted speech therapy centre in Malaysia


Ensuring your speech and/or communication improves with therapy drives all of us at Well Rehab.


As Malaysia’s leading provider of speech therapy, we are the preferred, qualified, and certified professionals that are trusted nationwide. For more information about our therapies or services in Malaysia, you may contact us at +60 12 512 8487 or email wellrehabmanagement@gmail.com. 

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