Susanna Ruuth works as a children’s speech therapist at Oulunkylä Health Station. She assesses, rehabilitates and supports children and young people under the age of 18 who require speech therapy.
The City of Helsinki’s family centres provide local health and social services to families with children. At a physical family centre, services are available from a single location, whereas at network-based family centres, they are available from various locations in the local area. Family centres also offer speech therapy for children and young people.
Susanna Ruuth has worked as a speech therapist for the City of Helsinki for 32 years. Speech therapists prevent, examine and provide rehabilitation for difficulties with speech and language and related problems in interaction. What first drew Susanna to the field was its interdisciplinary nature: in addition to logopedics, speech therapy training includes subjects such as psychology, linguistics and medicine. Comprehensive training equips professionals to identify and treat a wide range of speech, language and communication difficulties.
For many people, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of speech therapy is the correction of various speech sound errors, such as difficulties pronouncing the “r” sound. In reality, the work is much more varied: speech therapists help with difficulties relating to the voice, speech, language and communication as well as swallowing and eating.
The reasons for visiting a speech therapist can be very varied. For example, difficulties with younger children may be related to language comprehension, the development of speech, or interaction and engagement with others. Sometimes, for example, difficulties in transitioning to solid foods may be due to the child’s oral motor skills. In this case, the speech therapist can assess how the child chews and how their tongue moves.
Patients are always referred to speech therapy by a maternity and child health clinic or school health care. A common scenario for families starting speech therapy is that the parents feel that their child does not understand the language spoken in everyday life or cannot produce entire words themselves. However, delayed speech does not always indicate a language disorder: “Delayed language development is not a problem as long as the development is still moving in the right direction,” Susanna says.
During the first session, the speech therapist will assess, for example, the child’s active vocabulary, comprehension and narrative skills. A wide variety of pictures and toys are used to aid the assessment. Interviewing parents is an important part of assessing the child’s need for support, as they know their child’s challenges and development best. Based on the assessment, the speech therapist will draw up a treatment plan, which may include follow-up visits, longer courses of speech therapy, or further examinations.
Dealing with children of all kinds is a skill that is honed over the years. A visit to the speech therapist can be a stressful experience for the family, which may affect the child’s behaviour and interactions. “Fortunately, we have plenty of tricks up our sleeve to help the child relax and alleviate any nervousness,” says Susanna. With a quieter child, it is sometimes necessary to take things slowly, and additional assessment visits can be arranged if needed.
A child’s wellbeing is supported through collaboration between various professionals, such as a maternity and child health clinic psychologist, a nutritional therapist or an occupational therapist. Early childhood education also plays an important role as a partner, as staff have a wealth of information about how the child behaves in everyday situations. Family members and other people close to the child can play their part in supporting the child’s functional capacity and language development at home, even through small actions: doing things together, describing activities in words, observing the surroundings and asking the child questions all help with the development of language comprehension and vocabulary.
Working as a speech therapist involves finding solutions and supporting families, even in the most challenging situations. According to Susanna, the best thing about her job is getting to work with people: “It’s wonderful to see the children succeed. Every day has at least one memorable moment." The successes experienced during speech therapy sessions also encourage parents to continue supporting their child’s language development at home.
Over the years, the client base for speech therapy has become more diverse, and services are also being continuously developed to meet changing needs: “Our field is constantly evolving, and new methods are being introduced all the time. We continue to train throughout our careers.” The range of languages spoken by families has grown, and a large proportion of families are now multilingual. An interpreter is sometimes used to assist with the assessment, which is conducted in both Finnish and the child’s first language. Learning a foreign language can be a slow process for anyone, and learning at a slow pace does not necessarily indicate a language disorder. “A multilingual environment, in itself, does not have a negative impact on language learning or development,” Susanna points out.
Even in the most challenging cases, it is important to remember that the aim of the appointment is not to identify problems but to find solutions. The solution is often close at hand: “We work closely with early childhood education providers, schools and, of course, families to ensure that the child’s situation improves. As a rule, everyone leaves here happy,” says Susanna.
If you have any concerns about your child’s language development or speech, you can contact your local maternity and child health clinic. The professionals at the maternity and child health clinic will assess whether speech therapy is needed or whether a solution to the problem can be found elsewhere.