 |
| Mark A. Ittleman The Teaching of Talking |
I am sorry to say, I just don't buy the idea that an app or computer programs can be an efficient way of doing speech therapy with someone who has a severe speaking difficulty. As an Alternative Communication Device there are some great programs out there. There are even great apps that are good for telling stories, cognition, or for helping children or adults with sound errors, visual scanning, and reading recognition. Can they actually help people who have lost the ability to speak?
It is readily apparent in most social media that apps, I pads etc are the way to go when it comes to helping one talk after aphasia. I think the general public is getting the wrong impression and thinking that an app or computer program which really don't think, interact, or problem solve the many parameters associated with speaking can replace a speech language pathologist expert, even if the visits are running out. Not only that, but most computers can not visually show the act of speaking phrases and sentences and have the duplication of sound like one can achieve within a real eyeball to eyeball interaction. Advertisers would have us believe that what we need are computer program exercises for the brain, but they really lack the true meaning and richness of interaction with another person that can stimulate thought, immediate, short, and long-term memory, creativity and the ability to make decisions.
If you think about a person such as Helen Keller, a deaf, blind, and mute individual you will realize that the cards were stacked against her as far as having any kind of normal life. As a young girl she was a spoiled brat who had no way of self-expression other than acting out. She did not understand the concept of speech or Language, until someone by the name of Annie Sullivan showed up on the scene. Ann Sullivan taught Helen how to talk and put up with her temper tantrums and finally figured out a way to get Helen to understand the concepts of language and speaking. In fact, Annie spent years of intensive, everyday interaction with Helen and spent a good portion of her life as not only Helens' mentor, but friend as well. Helen Keller went on to be a prolific writer and speaker, and travelled the world expressing her beliefs about living life and actively studying and interacting within the politics of her time.
Speaking and communicating come about due to a RELATIONSHIP. It is the relationship that is the key factor in speech and language learning whether child who is learning to speak, or later when one has to learn to speak again after stroke. One will have considerable difficulty improving language learning without a relationship with another human being. Look at the miracles that people achieve. Often it requires a mentor, or a special person.
And that is what concerns me about the way trends are moving in the field of speech language pathology. We are in such a hurry to put someone behind a computer or i pad, to do the work that really isn't skilled therapy. What can easily happen is family members or inexperienced therapists may leave the grunt work of speech therapy to the computer or ipad, when in reality those technologies while being helpful, really do not understand the underlying concepts of speech, how to interpret symptoms or how to choose the best way to approach a speaking difficulty.
So before you shell out big bucks for a computer or ipad, ask yourself. "Is that the best investment of my time and money at this time, or should I, as a caregiver or therapist really take the time to research and understand what my loved one/client really needs as far as an approach to the improvement in speaking?"
Mark A. Ittleman, M.S., CCC/SLP
Mark A. Ittleman, M.S., CCC/SLP is a speech language pathologist who consults with patients at Kindred Rehabilitation Hospital, Humble, Texas, and all over the world. He has practiced speech language pathology with children and adults for over 40 years and had served in schools, private practice, and rehabilitation hospitals. He is an author of The Teaching of Talking, Learn to Do Expert Speech and Language Stimulation with Children and Adults (2013) Morgan James Publishing, New York City, New York. It is written for therapists, parents, family members, loved ones, spouses and caregivers. The author believes that family members, loved ones, and care givers can help a child or adult learn to talk or speak again with specialized knowledge.
Please come visit us and opt in at www.Teachingoftalking.com. Feel free to share this and other posts with people you may think could benefit from this information!
or
No comments:
Post a Comment