Speech therapy and medication use

Abstract

The article explores the integration between speech therapy and the use of medication in clinical interventions, highlighting when and how pharmacological support may or may not be appropriate in child development. Initially, the history and regulation of Speech Therapy are discussed, providing context for its role in promoting and rehabilitating communicative health. Drawing on Piaget's and Skinner's theories, the article examines how child development and language are constructed within a social and biological context. It also views the child as a "subject of language," influenced from birth by the discourses and expectations of the "Other." Through clinical cases, the article highlights the use of medication as a careful and moderate support, necessary in some cases for managing severe symptoms, while emphasizing the importance of ensuring that medication does not replace or inhibit the child's subjective and relational development. Another emphasis is on active listening and sensitive diagnosis, especially with young children, to prevent premature diagnoses and medication treatments that might compromise their psychological and relational development. Thus, the speech therapist plays a central role in creating an environment that values language as an element of integration and personal identity, promoting healthy development with a multidisciplinary approach