Speech therapy, also known as speech-language therapy, is a type of rehabilitation for individuals with communication and/or swallowing difficulties. It is provided by speech-language pathologists and aims to help individuals improve their speech and language skills, as well as their ability to swallow. The therapy may involve various techniques, including exercises to improve pronunciation, voice, fluency, and comprehension, as well as using assistive devices and/or alternative communication methods. Speech therapy may be necessary for people with various conditions, including developmental delays, speech sound disorders, stuttering, aphasia, and traumatic brain injury.

Speech problems in children can take many forms and can be caused by various factors, including developmental delays, hearing loss, physical speech impediments, and neurological or cognitive conditions.

Common speech problems in children include:

Articulation Disorders: difficulty producing speech sounds correctly.
Fluency Disorders: stuttering or disruption in the flow of speech.
Voice Disorders: problems with pitch, volume, or quality of the voice.
Receptive Language Disorders: difficulty understanding spoken language.
Expressive Language Disorders: difficulty communicating thoughts, ideas, and feelings through spoken language.

Early intervention and speech therapy can be very effective in treating speech problems in children. Treatment may involve exercises to improve speech sounds, language comprehension, and communication skills, as well as the use of augmentative and alternative communication devices or strategies.