How to Treat Communication Disorders

Problems with communicating can often lead to a number of behavior problems in children, adults and individuals with developmental delays. When a person’s method of communication is not understood, he may revert to problem behaviors to express his frustration or as an alternative means of communicating. This often makes him even more difficult to understand and can lead to a label of being problematic. It is extremely important to try to improve communication. Providing appropriate alternative means of communicating can improve the well being of an individual suffering from a communication disorder and help him to be more easily accepted and understood by those around them.

Things You'll Need

• Doctor
• Speech Pathologist

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Instructions

• 1

  Diagnose the problem. A communication disorder can be the result of any number of other issues including hearing impairment, autism, and mental retardation. You will want to explore any treatable medical conditions that may be hindering communication and address them first. Take the person to a medical doctor and have a full evaluation done. You may be referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist as well. Treat any medical causes that may be hindering communication before starting any type of alternative communication treatment. You may not want to teach sign language to someone who simply needs a hearing aid in order to improve his communication.

• 2

  Consult a speech pathologist after medical conditions have been ruled out and or addressed. The speech pathologist will be able to fully evaluate the individual with the communication disorder and recommend a course of treatment. You will need to provide a good deal of information about the history and background on the person being evaluated. The speech pathologist may recommend regular speech therapy sessions to help improve communication.

• 3

  Choose the best course of action to take based on the recommendations of the speech pathologist. If she decides on regular therapy sessions, participate if they allow it. You will want to learn all the methods you can to help bridge the communication gap. It is also important to focus on a particular treatment method. For some, this might mean sign language and early speech sounds. For others, it might mean a device and for others it may involve daily schedules and social stories. It is important for everyone working with the individual to be on the same page with his method of communication and to reinforce it as much as possible.

• 4

  Remain patient. While communication comes naturally to most of us, this is not the case for someone suffering with a communication disorder. Showing frustration will certainly delay and possibly hinder progress. Make sure to reward effort and praise even small progress.

• 5

  Schedule regular evaluations to track progress and see if any changes need to be made to the program.