Practical steps in the rehabilitation of children with speech and language impairment in Nigeria

Background: Medical and allied health professionals and educators are often the first point of contact for parents who are concerned with their child’s communication abilities. Because there are few speech-language pathologists in Nigeria, it becomes imperative for medical and educational professionals to provide practical steps and suggestions to parents to help facilitate their child’s speech and language development. Objective: To provide an overview of speech and language development and impairment and ultimately empower professionals with the practical steps to guide parents on ways to facilitate their child’s communication development. Method: Review of studies that have investigated methods of treating speech and language impairments was performed. Results: The practical steps and suggestions presented have been proven to be effective at facilitating children’s speech and language development. Conclusion: Medical and allied health professionals and educators should avail the parents with appropriate and effective information that would enable them to address their child’s speech and language impairment.