Importance of Speech and Language Intervention in Patients with Disabilities 03-12-2020
By: Dr. María Cristina Gutiérrez G. | Magister in Speech Therapy
Before we talk about the importance of speech and language intervention in people with disabilities, I would like to make it clear that this is how we should refer to them. According to the United Nations International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities), the appropriate term to refer to this group of the population is People with Disabilities (PCD) or Persons with Disabilities (ESDP). That is why the use of these terms is considered the only correct ones worldwide and it is very important to take this into account because sometimes it is believed that by calling them this way they are being stigmatized and they tend to be called with other terms that would really be misused.
Bearing in mind that today we are celebrating International Day of Disability, I would like to mention the importance of the management and intervention of the speech therapist in these patients. For we are the bridge that many of them count on to open their way and space in this society that is increasingly promoting inclusion. We live in a world where everyone runs at their own pace and under their own anxieties and that is why the person with disabilities must be empowered in the area of communication to allow them tools that lead to an integrated life in society.
Language is considered one of the most important faculties in the human being since it is the most notable way of beginning the acquisition of autonomy that is what is sought, to give them the same conditions that we all have of being heard. For this reason, the intervention of the Speech Therapist in these cases is fundamental and must be based on the specific need of each one, which will allow a greater evolution to the individual offering a free way to activate with their environment.
Interventions should start as soon as possible so that better results can be obtained, preferably before three years would be the ideal time, but this does not mean that the elderly do not benefit. It is very important to make sure of the Therapist to be chosen, because the evolution of the treatment depends on this.
It is very valuable not to say crucial the support of the family environment for progress, as they are the perfect complement to reproduce at home everything learned in clinical sessions. The process of overcoming a communication disorder can take a while, but when it is achieved it produces indescribable satisfaction.
Let's take advantage today to support and raise awareness with patients in a situation of disability so that every day they continue to gain the space that sometimes they have been wrongly wanted to close.