Language therapy

Problems with using language comprise difficulties to understand and express spoken, written or other forms of language, which exist in, for example, people with limited language development (e.g. in people with hearing loss), or due to different types of impairments following, for example, brain damage (e.g. aphasia). Language therapy aims to promote and restore understanding and expression of language through structured conversational practice and language stimulation (including early and family interventions) or, if full restoration is not possible, by developing compensatory strategies (e.g. using language cues) to allow a person to understand language and to express themselves. These techniques are practised repetitively and, if feasible, performed self-directed by the patient following education and advice on the appropriate techniques.