speech therapy

American  

[speech ther-uh-pee] / ˈspitʃ ˈθɛr ə pi /

noun

1. the diagnosis and treatment of speech and communication problems, as stuttering and other fluency and articulation disorders, or aphasia and other expressive or receptive language disorders.

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speech therapy British  

noun

1. treatment to improve the speech of children who have difficulty in learning to speak, for example because of partial deafness or brain damage, or to help restore the power of speech to adults who have lost it or partly lost it through accident or illness

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• speech therapist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of speech therapy

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

For example, a student with intellectual disability may have an individualized education plan that includes speech therapy.

From Slate • Jul. 9, 2025

But over three weeks of physical, occupational and speech therapy, “she was making good progress,” her husband, Iric Nathanson, said.

From New York Times • May 25, 2024

But after two operations at St George's Hospital, in south-west London, and a course of "amazing" speech therapy, the most recognisable voice in football is back - and on television again.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2024

Her older daughter has developed a stutter, and she worries the girl might need speech therapy.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2024

I was still taking speech therapy classes, but I wasn’t fighting anymore.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers