FV 101 : (Part 1) Speech therapy: from child language development to stroke recovery

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Meet Carole, a French speech therapist ("orthophoniste"). Carole will define what speech therapy covers and you may be surprised to find out that it is MUCH more than you may have thought! How did Carole choose to become a speech therapist, and how do you even become one? These are the questions we'll answer first. We'll also discuss the difference between clients (customers) and patients, and how a simple choice of word may impact the way we treat people. We'll then start tackling the different fields that Carole specialises in, starting to issues related to speech and language among children. One of many interesting points made during the episode about vocabulary is the difference between the French words "langue" and "langage" - both translated by "language" in English. We'll also talk about the written language (reading and writing components): how can they be addressed in speech therapy?

Vocab List

admissible (adj) = eligible

cabinet (nm) = clinic, office, consulting room

concours (nm) = competitive exam

confrère, consoeur (n) = fellow colleague

conseiller d'orientation (nm) = career advicer

d'affilée = in a row

déchiffrage = decoding, deciphering

déglutition (nf) = swallowing, deglutition

orthophoniste (n) = speech therapist

otite (nf) = ear infection

prépa (nf) = preparatory class

sous-jacent(e) (adj) = underlying, implicit

surdité (nf) = deafness, hearing loss

tiquer = make react, make twitch, raise eyebrows

tympan (nm) = eardrum

Questions:

True or false? As per the etymology of the word, speech therapy exclusively focuses on re-educating the audio/oral components of speech difficulties.

Give 4 examples of factors that may slow down the development of speech and language in children.

At the end of the episode, what do I compare Carole's work with?

Answers:

Today, speech pathology deals with everything that involves communication in the broad sense of the term.

Parents not talking enough to the child because they're too busy or there are many other siblings; too much screen time, too little exposure to books. Ear infections.

A mix of being a doctor and a private teacher.

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