Speech therapists divide their cases into common and complex. An example of a complex case
is a person suffering from aphasia.This is the loss of the ability to under- stand and/or use speech. There are many causes of aphasia, including partial brain dam- age that leaves the individual with the physical ability to speak. If the individual is able to speak but does not, the therapist must determine the cause of such conduct. Often, speech therapists determine that problems are emotional and refer the individuals with such problems to psychologists or psychiatrists trained to help them.
While a speech therapist is not trained to help persons with severe emotional disorders, the therapist does receive extensive training in such areas as anatomy(as it relates to speech, concentrating on the diaphragm, tongue, and palate), physics(particularly relating to sound), and language and communications. Some therapists take classes in elementary psychology as well.
The speech therapist must be able to diagnose the type and severity of the speech defect, then prescribe a series of treatments. While some people with severe handicaps receive individual instruction, most patients are comfortable receiving group therapy with others who have the same problem. If a patient is found to have a physical handicap that is impeding his progress, he is sent to a doctor with whom the therapist works closely.
Many therapists have a high success rate with their patients. No scientific studies have yet shown whether the intervention of the therapist was in fact the sole cause of the improvement of the patients, or whether time and maturity helped as well. A recent study has shown that persons who have not received speech therapy have often been "cured' of their problems merely by being around others without the problem. However, that same study showed that those few persons who were not treated by therapists had extremely low self-esteem and considered themselves " different" and "retarded". The therapists often are able to make the patients see that while they are different, the difference is not of their own making, that they have not done something wrong. Therapists try to reach children when they are very young, before they have had an opportunity to be teased by other children or made to feel they are "stupid". Therapists often work with whole families, encouraging the parents and siblings to listen to the patients, taking the time to help them feel they are an important part of the family, not just brushing them off because the effort of interpreting their speech is too great or time-consuming.
Which of the following is not listed as a function of the speech therapist？
A．To diagnose the nature and severity of the defect.
B．To determine the cause of aphasia in children who are physically capable of speech.
C．To give emotional support to a child, showing her that the defect is not fault of her own.
D．To prescribe medication that will help the patient relax and use her speech muscles properly.
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