She further said it people face various disorders which come under speech language and hearing sciences, including communications disorders, feeding disorders, voice and hearing disorders. She said that an individual who is perfectly fine or intelligent can also come up with inability to speak clearly, to speak fluently, stammering and inability to eat, chew and bite. She said both children and adults can have such issues.
She said there could be neurological cause for it or sometimes it could be natural without any cause. Although not genetically transferred like generation to generation, yet they have wide range of reasons for having them," she said, adding that patients having such disorders would either have difficulty in speaking or sometimes complete silence means no speaking at all.
Workshop on 'Talk Tools' is being conducted by Renee Roy Hill - MS, CCC-SLP, Texas, a therapist for adults and children with oral placement, feeding and motor speech deficits. "Oral placement therapy focuses the muscles that are needed for speech and feeding.
This therapy is for the people who have muscle based speech and feeding disorder and who have weak muscles system," Hill said, adding that people with down syndromes are also effected by speech and language disorder. She said if patients don't get training then by the time there are chances that they tend to be more debilitative.
"We have systematic approach to deal with muscles based disorders. We work on developing and feeding skills because that's where muscles development starts in babies. We have many exercises and activities to help and build-up muscles," she said. Renee R Hill said that it a global problem and people are already seeking training for years.
She said more people get awareness the more change we will see. Parents of infants see disability in their children should contact therapists immediately because delaying for 4 to 5 years turn it into bigger problem for the family. 'Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS)' is conducted by Louise Maggs, a speech and language therapist who is Clinical Director at Pyramid (UK).
She said if people get awareness timely, more likely, they seek help and get diagnosis. "In UK, patients are increasing significantly for the past 15 years. Maternal malnutrition is one of the causes for various abnormalities and disabilities," she said, adding that Pakistan stands at number 3 in cleft palate and there are free surgical camps for this all over Pakistan.