The actual figure on the number of schoolchildren suffering from speech problems is difficult to pin down. There are a number of reasons why it is so, the primary one being the fact that many of them do not even realize that they have a problem with their speech. Because they are not aware of it themselves, parents and guardians are no less informed about it. In other words, it lies under the surface, never raising its ugly head. That, however, does not mean that problem does not exist. Its essential that awareness program on Speech Therapy in School should be introduced for students and family members.
Any survey conducted among schoolchildren will reveal that as astounding amount of them need speech therapy. Most of these students are in different zones of speech impairment. In a school, all the children do not get ample opportunities to speak in class. That is a good reason why they are unaware that when handed such a chance, they will stutter and stammer with words and phrases. A speech therapist can spot such latent problems in the wink of an eye. An expert here at Speech Plus tells us, “Children will never admit they have a problem speaking. The therapist needs to work with this denial in mind.”
The bigger problem is that schools are often quite apathetic towards such children. Even when they find out that some children have issues with speaking, they quickly sidestep and avoid the issue. There are two reasons for that. One, the school wants to focus on the majority of students who are not facing speech problems, at least on the surface. Two, the school does not have the infrastructure to provide speech therapy to students who need it. The end result is that speech impaired children continue to bear the brunt of ridicule and anonymity with perseverance, making matters more complicated than they were to begin with.
Speech therapists engaged with us feel that schools should include speech therapy in their module somewhere. Teachers can identify children with these issues. They are bracket them under an umbrella for the speech therapist to work on them separately. It will take some time before these children are able to find some comfort level in how they speak. More than commitment and focus on their part, it is also the responsibility of the school to take up such a project. To be honest, most schools will shy away from this task. However, if the overall development of the child is the goal of the institution, they will not look the other way about this pressing problem of speech impairment.