How Do I Choose the Best Speech Therapy Exercises?

Speech therapy exercises are designed to help with various speech disorders such as stuttering, or impaired speech due to debilitating medical conditions such as stroke. A trained speech pathologist may recommend oral motor exercises designed for your particular needs. You may also choose from lessons and activities on audio or video, or you may prefer to download oral motor exercises online. You should choose one that is age-appropriate, since different exercises are designed for adults and children. It may be a good idea to choose speech therapy exercises that are created and endorsed by a professional.

If your child has a speech disorder, his teacher may recommend a special class or program designed for his needs. Articulation therapy exercises performed with the use of flashcards may help improve language of children who have difficulty pronouncing certain words. Children with a stuttering disorder may benefit from fluency speech exercises. There are also various speech therapy exercises for children with voice disorders. By retraining the pitch or volume of the voice, the child's speech may become more understandable.

Children often do better when speech therapy exercises are challenging yet fun. For this reason, it might be a good idea to incorporate games and a reward system into the program. When choosing speech therapy exercises and activities for children, use flashcards with bright colors and playful characters.

Whether the speech therapy exercises are intended for an adult or child, it is often convenient to choose activities that may be accomplished at home. You might wish to choose games and exercises that can be performed with a partner who can offer feedback. If you choose speech therapy exercises for a young child, use caution when working with small objects that may present a choking hazard.

It's often a good idea to choose oral motor exercises that are endorsed and used by professionals. You may be able to order special equipment or textbooks online, or find more information at your local library. Although many of these professional tools tend to be expensive, you might consider it an investment. For a less expensive alternative, consider purchasing card games that are designed for specific disorders. Some activities may be performed using a standard deck of playing cards or simple flashcards.

Adults recovering from brain injury or stroke may benefit from speech exercises that can be found online. Many downloadable programs are free of charge, and you may also find forums for support and guidance. Perform a simple Internet search to discover more oral motor exercises designed for adults.