I was very enthused when a friend emailed me your article “Piedmont University launches speech and language clinic” about the new speech and language clinic affiliated with Piedmont University. I salute the founder of this clinic as they will help so many people with the various speech issues, especially children. With some of the childhood speech problems, early speech therapy is a must. I wish to mention to your readers an aspect of serving children with speech problems that generally goes unnoticed.
An aspect of child speech therapy has gone unreported for nearly fifty years. It is a shame because so many more children could be helped if the media and education establishments promoted this amazing benefit.
Parents of children with speech issues should know that every child in the U.S. has the right to free speech therapy due to federal legislation. The free therapy can begin in preschool and run throughout the high school years. It covers all types of speech problems.
A brochure entitled “Special Education Law and Children Who Stutter” is available for download on the website of the Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org), a site that has great resources for children and adults who stutter. Again, the free speech therapy encompasses all speech problems, and not just stuttering. If more parents knew about this amazing benefit of free speech therapy, then more children could be helped.
It is heartening to know that so many more children will be now be helped through the new speech clinic at Piedmont University. Hats off to the speech professional who founded it!
Ed Herrington
Naples, Florida
