When it comes to speech therapy, the duration of treatment can vary greatly depending on the issue being addressed. Generally, children attend speech therapy sessions once or several times a week. Treatment may last a few weeks, a few months, or a few years. It is important to practice regularly in order to achieve the best results.
Many children who need speech therapy have an articulation or phonological processing disorder. Research suggests that it typically takes 15 to 20 hours to correct a difference in speech, and the typical frequency for joint treatment is twice a week for 30-minute sessions. This means that if the disorder is mild to moderate and the child attends treatment consistently and families do their homework between sessions, the total duration of treatment could be about four to five months. The actual treatment time will also depend on the number of sound errors that are being addressed in the treatment plan. If your child starts speech therapy at an older age, this can mean a more intense speech therapy experience, as it includes changing long-standing speech behaviors.
A 2002 study concluded that significant advances in speech clarity require approximately 14 hours of therapy, on average. When you maximize the success of remote speech therapy for your child, you have a better chance of helping to maintain your child's motivation. This estimate relates only to speech clarity and does not apply to improvements in expressive language or fluency. When working with a language processing problem, one therapist can teach strategies to improve the problem, while another focuses on finding a cure. I started using the 5-minute program for children, but recently I bought Speedy Speech and I think it's much better because of the way the words are grouped into groups of almost minimal triplets. Once your child has been diagnosed with a speech impairment or a speech disorder and you have set your appointment, you should make sure that you are as informed and organized as possible to get the most out of the first visit.
If you ask your speech-language pathologist (SLP) this question and receive something like a definitive answer, then you may need to keep looking for an SLP to administer speech therapy. Speech & Occupational Therapy of North Texas believes that partnership with families is a fundamental part of treatment. I just spoke with the owners of “Speedy Speech”, which is another program for shorter individual speaking sessions. Once you determine if your child is truly eligible for speech therapy services, you can start planning the next necessary steps. Therefore, after all, it's quite difficult to predict with certainty how long your child's speech therapy will last. In conclusion, it is important to remember that each case is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to determining how long speech therapy will last.
The duration of treatment depends on many factors such as the severity of the disorder, age of the child, and consistency of practice. It is best to consult with an experienced speech therapist who can provide an accurate assessment and create an individualized plan for your child.
