The logopaedics (speech therapy) is a sanitary discipline that occupies itself with the prevention, the evaluation, the diagnostics and the integral intervention of disturbances in communication (voice, speaking and language) and in oral functions that are nonverbal like deglutition (swallowing).
The language and the communication are essential elements of the human being that allow each person an individual and social development. From this perspective, I try to deal with the difficulties or communicative losses that the persons I treat suffer by pursuing, as a speech therapist, to help them achieve a full and functional communication.
A professional en logopaedics is working with both adults and children in the rehabilitation of distinct difficulties:
- Difficulties in deglutition: atypical deglutition, dysphagia.
- Difficulties concerning the voice: dysphonia, laryngeal paralysis.
- Difficulties in articulation and oral expression: dyslalia, diglossia, dysarthria, dysphemia, apraxia.
- Difficulties concerning the language and communication that may affect the oral expression and/or the aural understanding: aphasia, anomia, special problems concerning the language, retardation of the language.
- Difficulties concerning the written language (reading and writing).
The most frequent pathologies that may provoke consequences in the communication, in the expression and/or in the deglutition of a person are the following:
- Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, cerebellar ataxia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Sudden neurological lesions or acquired cerebral damages through ictus, tumors, traumatic pain injury, cerebral infections.
- Cerebral paralysis.
- Problems in the neuronal development.
- Problems through the autistic spectrum.
- Audial deficiencies: deafness and hearing loss.
Most of the time, a logopaedic treatment requires individual attention which begins with an initial contact between the patient and the speech therapist and extends into the family in those cases in which it would be necessary.
Sessions will be held as group sessions when all persons that are part of this group benefit from this shared therapy and common goals are observed. This is the case for nutrition workshops, conversation groups for people with aphasia, also for group sessions of speech stimulation for persons with dementia, etc.
The logopaedic intervention is always preceded by an evaluation of both the difficulties that the person presents and the abilities that the person conserves inside to initiate the treatment. Depending on each case, the time for a first meeting differs. Generally the first meeting will take about 90 minutes.
Amongst the functions that the speech therapist presents is also included the creation of workshops to facilitate a personalized consulting for relatives and/or carers of persons that represent similar difficulties. For example, “how to adapt the nutrition of adults or children with dysphagia” or “how to communicate with a person that doesn’t understand the words we say”, etc.
Communication develops in the familiar environment of the child and/or adult. That’s why the logopaedic approach also considers home visits to be able to find more functional objectives and see the real necessities of each family and its environment.
Las sesiones serán grupales cuando cada una de las personas que integre el grupo se beneficien de esa terapia compartida y se contemplen objetivos comunes. Es el caso de los talleres de alimentación, de los grupos de conversación entre personas con afasia, también de sesiones grupales de estimulación del lenguaje en personas con demencia, etc.
La intervención logopédica siempre va precedida de una valoración tanto de aquellas dificultades que presenta la persona como de las habilidades que conserva para iniciar el tratamiento. En función de cada caso se necesitarán más o menos horas. Como marco general, la primera aproximación dura alrededor de una hora y media.
Entre las funciones que presenta el logopeda también se incluye la creación de talleres para facilitar un asesoramiento personalizado a familiares y/o cuidadores de personas que presentas similares dificultades. Por ejemplo, cómo adaptar la alimentación de adultos o niños que presentan disfagia, cómo comunicarnos con una persona que no entiende las palabras que le decimos, etc.
La comunicación se despliega en el entorno más conocido del niño y/o adulto. Por ello, el abordaje logopédico contempla la salida a los domicilios para poder plantearnos objetivos más funcionales y ver las necesidades reales de cada familia y su entorno.
- Individual logopaedic session of 1 hour: 35 Euros.
- Individual logopaedic session of 45 minutes: 25 Euros.
Contact: logopedia@alteasalut.com
