The essential role of the Speech Therapist in Early Care

For those cases in which a young child has a developmental disorder or is at risk of suffering one, the intervention of Early Attention can be of great help. This implies a set of optimizing and compensatory interventions aimed at facilitating their maturation. in all areas, with the aim of reaching the highest level of social integration and development staff. These actions require an interdisciplinary approach, so it implies the joint work of professionals from different disciplines, such as paediatricians, neurologists, psychologists, psychiatrists or pedagogues.

One of the professionals who has an essential role in Early Care is the speech therapist. In this article we will see what his role is in these intervention teams and how he can be of great help both to children who have some type of deficit or disability and to their families.

• Related article: "The 5 main functions of speech therapists"

What is the role of speech therapist in Early Care?

The speech therapist is a professional who is trained to address difficulties in communication, speech, language, emergent literacy, and swallowing or feeding. Its relevance to integrate interventions in Early Intervention resides in the fact that, first of all, language is essential to all aspects of human functioning, since we need to have the ability to bond with others when living in society.

The development of communication skills begins at birth, and therefore, families with babies or children up to 36 months who have a disability (or are at risk of suffering it) require the attention of a professional such as a speech therapist capable of promoting the development of the child, aiming to solve the difficulties that both he and her family may introduce.

The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association has established a series of responsibilities and competencies that speech therapists should aim for in relation to Early Intervention; always based on the most recent scientific evidence and taking into account both the particularities of each child or family as well as the concerns and priorities to which they they face each other In general terms, the speech therapist must be able to form collaborative links with families so that the interventions are focused on them, you should provide parents with education and resources to expand their ability to enhance the potential of their children. children; as well as making clinical decisions recognizing the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the context in which the child is immersed. On the other hand, the speech therapist has specific functions in Early Care. Let's see what they are briefly.

1. Prevention

The speech therapist in Early Care must have the ability to identify and choose certain prevention actions according to the child and family based on scientific evidence. In other words, prevention —like all the actions undertaken by the speech therapist in Early Care— cannot be carried out separately from the context that encompasses the situation. Therefore, he must also be able to adapt prevention activities according to the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the child and their environment.

• You may be interested in: "Children's therapy: what is it and what are its benefits"

2. Detection, evaluation and diagnosis of needs

Regarding this element, the speech therapist must have knowledge about the importance of detecting early, while an intervention at this stage will lead to positive results with respect to the development. Therefore, its function is to have knowledge about the methods and standardized tests that are used for a particular population, that of children from zero to three years of age.

3. Planning, implementation and monitoring of the intervention

The speech therapist has the function of planning, implementing and monitoring the interventions that he performs in the field of communication and speech. However, he must also have the ability to establish criteria to make referrals to professionals from other areas for those problems that exceed his own discipline. It is vital at this stage that the speech therapist can include family education in the planning and implementation of the intervention; Therefore, it must also evaluate the capacities of the family and the main caregiver to successfully support the development of their children through the routines or activities that will be proposed to them.

• Related article: "The 14 types of language disorders"

4. Counseling and education of team members, including other professionals and families

As we said before, the role of the speech therapist also aims at effective communication with the family and with other members of the work team. This will facilitate the resolution of problems that may arise when developing and putting into practice the interventions. In addition, the interventions may involve specific strategies for which the speech therapist is trained, so their function is to teach the families, caregivers or professionals involved how to act according to the intervention that is carried out cape.

5. Service Coordination

Regarding the coordination of services, the speech therapist must be able to participate as a whole in the transition planning to other educational services. In this way, various types of transitions can occur, such as from the home-centered program to a center-focused one once the Early Care stage is over; from the hospital to the Early Care program in your community; from early intervention to an early childhood education service or school, among others.

6. Defense and promotion of Early Attention

Ultimately, the speech therapist has the role of advocating for the needs of children with communication difficulties and their families. To do this, you need to know how much your own assumptions or attitudes, both personal and cultural, can affect practices with children with disabilities and their families. Consequently, the speech therapist is capable of making decisions that point to the development of policies that bring to light the importance of Early Attention; or, failing that, to social awareness and the dissemination of knowledge about these practices.

Do you want to train in Early Care?

If you are looking to deepen your knowledge in this area and acquire the skills necessary to make a difference, we recommend you consider the Master's Degree in Speech Therapy in Early Attention Online offered by Edeca Training. This program will equip you with the training and tools necessary to perform effectively in this field. Click here to learn more about this valuable program and how it can help you expand your skills and knowledge as a mental health professional.