Aspects of Language and Speech Required for a Childs Development - Case Study Example

ROLE OF A SPEECH AND A LANGUAGE THERAPIST By of the of the School The early child development stage is closely associated with the mastery of language. Communication among the children is a critical development process which calls for specialists. In this respect, speech and language therapists are a group of professionals that work with parents, guardians and other stakeholders in the children welfare. Aspects of language and speech required for child’s development include difficulties in articulation, mastery among others. The therapists always take into consideration difficulties the children have and the subsequent impacts on their future life. The central point of therapist’s involvement is to propel the child to the heights of his/her communication potentials. Various governments for instance Scotland; emphasize use of the therapists to implement its early child development policy. The national priorities include this service, and this has been boosted through increased resource allocation and staffing towards this development agenda. It is common knowledge that communication skills are a significant factor in educational, intellectual, social and emotional development (Marshall, 2004, pg.128-9). It is in this regard that the therapists assist children and young people experiencing understanding of language concepts, expressing themselves and using communication to interact appropriately. This is fortified by helping the special group that has difficulty in drinking, swallowing and eating as a critical factor in the nurturing. The service requires a collaborative approach in which the therapists partner with the families, social workers, education fraternity, healthcare professionals and the voluntary groups. Through the spirit of shared responsibility, all the involved parties work towards meeting the needs of the children. The work of the therapists takes place in various settings in which the children’s ability are readily tested and ascertained. Top in this list include schools, clinics, nurseries among other social locations in the larger community. In line with increasing debate over the quality of education at early learning stages has gained much progress. The UK and Wales government among other nations have been at the forefront of implementing better child upbringing in line with the development. There is a lot of research that need to be carried out to establish best childcare practices and the required parental input. In this respect, the in-depth knowledge of the experts proved useful in the recommendation of policies (Flasher & Fogle, 2012, pg. 105-9). Pupils support programmes requires multidiscipline professionals who are able to co-ordinate various activities with a common focal point. Some schools especially for children with special communication needs require support of the community in more than physical resources. In respect of the provisional children education policy, lead professionals take charge in evaluation and planning process for the abilities. They develop the evaluation framework which acts as a guide to the other stakeholders in promoting the welfare of children. A checklist of assessment criteria on child’s development aspects forms the basis of participatory decision making, and this is attainable under the tutelage of professionals. The therapists incorporate the input of other disciplines like psychologists and sociologists who work with various stakeholders to enhance effective practice in integrating early learning stages services. There are many benefits that accrue from working with the lead therapists in child development from an academic and social perspective. Research establishes that the overall development of a child is influenced by many factors including family background. Speech and language therapists observe that cases of poor outcome in children development process can be attributed to parent inadequacy. The social environment in which the children are nurtured significantly influence their cognitive skills and diverse trait development factors. Even parents experience personal challenges that need external intervention for the stipulated goals to be attained. The presence of the therapists instills the possibility spirit among the parents, teachers and other stakeholders (Flasher & Fogle, 2012, pg. 125-8). Apart from their management techniques, they wield influence in engaging other key stakeholders in the project monitoring, implementation and mobilization of resources to help the children. They have experience to engage other agencies in the process of appraising the identified goal of boosting communication skills in children and young people. Many practitioners have reported sustainable benefits of the lead experts in the issue. They help the children to access services in a swifter way hence offering intervention before the emerging problem escalates. Issues of language and children are delicate and therefore require requisite skills and precision to resolve. Parents and children gain from the professionals who consider their working relations as an opportunity. The close interpersonal relationships between pupils, parents and the lead experts enhance proactive measures that remain central in the effort towards desirable child communication ability development. The involvement of government and seeking commitment of the private sector in the campaign towards child’s speech and language development progress requires convincing facts that can only be delivered by the said therapists. Input of the therapists has been useful in boosting the moral courage of the parents to live with the reality of the physical orientation of their children in respect of their communication ability (Flasher & Fogle, 2012, pg. 133-7). Particular focus goes to special needs schools where the parents must seize any small opportunity in working with the professionals to remedy possible destructive approach to the young minds. Educational relevance has been among the proposals towards effective pursuit of the services. The experts have set litmus paper in determining the idea of incorporating speech and language development in curriculum structure. In this respect, the therapists have played a central role in addressing academic, emotional, personal, and vocational needs to impact on the achieving predetermined educational objectives. Governments and the civil society depend on children to perpetuate the existence of the social order and children takes a center stage in this capacity. It is, therefore, imperative that the curriculum framework is modeled to suit the welfare of children with particular focus to speech and language development. The therapists provide a unique set of roles based on their focused experience in language and speech (Marshall, 2004, pg.130-4). They offer much needed assistance in addressing the linguistic and metalinguistic fundamentals of curriculum learning for children and young people with disabilities, in addition to other learners who face the risk of school failure or others who struggle with communication in school settings. Development of children through various social institutions requires a strategic and collaborative approach, and this necessitates the engagement of professionals in the field of linguistics. Even training parents on how to provide a conducive environment for the pupils are a critical aspect of the therapists’ contribution on the overall learning outcome in children. The efforts of the therapists have equally been characterized by some bottlenecks. Many complaints have been lodged against the government lacking political will in implementing some of the taskforce proposals. It is imperative to note that speech and language incompetent children need a lot of funding, and this can only be attained through adequate funding. A situation of poor parents and physically challenged child may present a complex problem for implementing the policies recommended by the therapists. The new reports from the therapists’ survey indicate that there is still widespread limited knowledge about speech and language development among parents (Anderson & Van Der Gaag, 2005, pg.71-8). The early child communication therapy programme has not got effective coverage to meet the projected target. This stresses the extent of challenge Speech and language therapists have to deal with especially due to the partial geographical involvement of the parents. Some parts of the country especially rural settings experience little exposure to information and resources hence limited co-operation and participation. This has always made it difficult to access the children with disability in such areas that are not much involved in child communication development programs. Coordination of most of the services are aimed at assisting various families seek help, but this requires personal initiative by the parents. In the case of rural parents and poor urban dwellers, there is a high probability of inaccessibility. Infiltrating such places proves challenging and hampers inclusive children and language therapy implementation process. From the educational reform perspective, speech and language therapists have assumed leadership role in terms of definition and articulation of roles and responsibilities in an effort to deliver appropriate services to the children and young people. They promote continuous and expansive awareness creation and service delivery by inducting new linguistic professionals. It is worth to conclude that different theoretical models advanced towards the role of speech and language therapists in helping children develop has been characterized by mixed experiences. Effective execution of the linguistic therapeutic plan requires a collaborative approach engaging public sector and private sector. Parental guide and awareness creation across the population is critical to ease the work of the therapists. Increased funding on research and development is arguably the essential input if the children development and special needs group welfare is to be taken care of. The primary aspect of early child development process is the acquisition of speech and language skill. References Marshall, M. (2004). Perspectives on rehabilitation and dementia. London, Jessica Kingsley. Flasher, L. V., & Fogle, P. T. (2012). Counseling skills for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Clifton Park, NY, Delmar, Cengage Learning. Anderson, C., & Van Der Gaag, A. (2005). Speech and language therapy: issues in professional practice. London [u.a.], Whurr. Read More