Most people think about speech therapy as simply assisting with the literal act of speaking. Speech therapy consists of techniques and activities aimed at improving overall communication by addressing delays and disorders in expressive/receptive language, articulation, oral motor dysfunction, apraxia of speech, social language, fluency (stuttering), feeding and swallowing, communication and cognitive skills. Some benefits you may expect are: Enabling them to speak so that others will understand what they are saying. Preparing them for school so that they can keep up with other children in learning Improves vocal quality. Improvement in the social skills of your child. Speech therapists help children in improving their ability to socialize with other people. They target how to initiate, maintain, and terminate conversations, turn-taking, understand emotions, and more. Better communication skills. Speech therapy also involves training children in learning and understanding different vocabulary and concepts, answering questions, following instructions, and other higher language skills. Furthermore, it also tackles expression of self (e.g., thoughts and feelings), clear and correct pronunciation of speech sounds and words, and more. Communication is an essential life skill needed for a person’s day-to-day functions. Without communication, participation of an individual in societal activities (e.g., getting a job, school performance, developing relationships, etc.) are restricted. Helps with reading. Speech delay can cause problems listening, reading and writing. Reading and literacy skills can significantly aid in communication. When you can spell, you can communicate freely. Teaching these essential skills can be the key to better communication with others. Increases self-esteem and independence. With the help of speech therapy, communication is made more effective leading to an improved quality of life and more opportunities to be involved in society.