Turner Syndrome Foundation
Girls with Turner Syndrome may have speech problems and often speech therapy is recommended. A speech therapist, formally known as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) will assist in determining the problem, the cause, and best treatment options with a goal to build skills. This can be a lengthy process working one-on-one, in small groups, or in the classroom. The earlier the intervention, the better the long term outcome. Speech therapy is a proven intervention that can benefit girls socially, emotionally and academically.
Speech therapy for girls with Turner Syndrome can help with:
- Feeding: Difficulty with eating, swallowing and drooling often common with infants with TS
- Articulation & Fluency – Speaking clearly
- Resonance: Pitch and volume of voice
- Receptive language: Understanding language, listening
- Expressive language: Expressive language
- Pragmatic language: Using language in socially appropriate ways
- Feeding and swallowing: Exercises to strengthen the muscles of the mouth. This might include facial massage and various tongue, lip and jaw exercises. Use different food textures during eating and swallowing to overcome sensual issues
- Activities: Modeling and giving feedback to address the individual’s particular challenges through play and repetitive language exercises
- Articulation: Modeling then demonstrating how to move the tongue to create specific sounds
