Speech therapy, also known as speech-language pathology, is the treatment of speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. It is provided by speech therapists or speech-language pathologists (SLPs), who are health professionals trained to assess, diagnose, and treat communication and related disorders.

Speech therapists work with individuals of all ages, including children, adolescents, and adults, who have difficulty with communication, swallowing, or other related disorders.

Speech therapy can help individuals to improve their:

• articulation (ability to produce speech sounds correctly)
• fluency (smoothness of speech)
• voice (quality, pitch, loudness)
• language (comprehension, expression, and use)
• cognition (memory, attention, problem-solving)

Speech therapy can also help with conditions such as stuttering, aphasia (language disorder caused by brain damage), and dysarthria (speech disorder caused by muscle weakness or paralysis).

Therapy sessions are often tailored to the individual’s needs and can take place in various settings, including clinics, schools, hospitals, homes, and workplaces. It can be done one-on-one or in group settings, and therapy may include exercises, drills, and activities that target specific skills, as well as strategies for improving communication in real-world situations..