1. What is speech therapy?
Speech therapy is the science that aims to prevent, evaluate and diagnose, treat and restore speech, communication, speech, voice and swallowing disorders in children and adults.
2. To whom are speech therapy services provided?
Speech therapy is provided exclusively by qualified speech pathologists, to people from infancy to old age. The services provided by Speech Pathologists concern people with the following disorders:
– Speech and language development delay
– Learning disorders
– Articulation disorders & Phonological disorders
– Developmental Language Disorder (DLD – Developmental Language Disorder)
– Pervasive Developmental Disorders (ADD – Autism Spectrum Disorder)
– Speech flow disorders (stuttering)
– Voice disorders (& laryngectomy)
– Cognitive/mental impairment disorders
– Feeding and swallowing disorders-dysphagia
– Craniofacial abnormalities
– Language difficulties arising after hearing loss (congenital or acquired)
– Speech, Language and Communication Disorders after Acquired Neurological Damage (aphasia, apraxia, dysarthria)
– Syndromes (e.g. Guillain Barre Syndrome, etc.)
– ADHD
3. When should I worry?
Each child has their own pace of development. However, there are some typical stages of development by age, which include the skills that each child is expected to acquire as they develop in the areas of perception, expression, speech, language and communication in general.
Click here to see in detail what a child should have acquired by age.
If your child is not following the above developmental milestones and you notice that she/he may not have mastered the skills expected based on her/his chronological age or you notice a delay in them, then it is important to contact a speech-language pathologist to conduct an evaluation. The speech-language pathologist is the one who will identify any difficulties or weaknesses in your child, will advise you, guide you and draw up an intervention plan to address these difficulties.
4. If a child attending a public school appears to have speech, language or communication difficulties, is he entitled to a free speech-language pathology evaluation or must he visit a private speech-language pathologist?
The Provincial Committee for Special Education and Training of each province is responsible for the free and adequate Speech Pathological Assessment of the needs of every child who is considered likely to have cognitive-perceptual difficulties, language difficulties, speech, speech or communication difficulties, wherever the child attends or is. Every person, especially every parent, school principal or other member of the educational staff, doctor, psychologist, speech therapist, social worker, etc. has a duty to notify the Provincial Committee for Special Education and Training of his province of every case of a child who comes to his knowledge or perception that he is displaying the aforementioned difficulties.
Notification is made by completing a Special Referral Form, which can be obtained from all public schools, the offices of the District Committees and the Special Education website (moec.gov.cy)
For more information, visit the website of the Ministry of Education, Special Education (moec.gov.cy)
5. What are the most common “symptoms” that a person with a speech/language problem has?
Speech problems in children or adults can be:
- Articulation disorder (incorrect production of sounds)
- Dysarthria (disorder in which there is no coordination of breathing, articulation, phonation and prosody due to neuromuscular disorders)
- Apraxia (difficulty in planning the movements of the speech organs)
- Stuttering (speech disorder in rhythm, speed, prosody)
- Voice disorders (voice problems in tone, intensity and quality, e.g. severe hoarseness)
Speech problems in children can be:
- Delay in speech development (slowness compared to other children of his age in vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, etc.)
- Speech disorders (uses his own rules for communication)
- Learning difficulties (learning difficulties in school-age children).
- Speech problems in adults can be, aphasia – partial or total disorganization of speech after a stroke or trauma, or cognitive – linguistic disorders (difficulties in memory, vocabulary, orientation, judgment, etc.).
6. What are the main employment categories of speech pathologists in Cyprus?
Approximately 35% of our members are employed by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (YPAN) in Public Kindergartens, Primary Schools and Public Special Schools. Approximately 0.5% of our members are employed by the Ministry of Health in the speech therapy department of Makarios Hospital and in the Hospitals of other provinces. Approximately 58% of our members are employed in the private sector (private offices, rehabilitation centers, etc.). 4.5% do not practice the profession and 2% live abroad.
7. How will I know if the private speech pathologist I will visit is the right one for my case?
You can search for the speech pathologist from the SYEL search database “Find your speech pathologist” based on the qualifications of the registered speech pathologists by clicking here. There you will also find a short biography of the speech pathologist. Also, during your visit to the speech pathologist’s office, the necessary certificates (degrees, specializations and license to practice) of the speech pathologist should be posted on the wall.
8. Is there a list of all registered speech pathologists in the registry?
Yes. You can search for a speech pathologist from the SYEL search database “Find your speech pathologist” to see the registered speech pathologists by clicking here. Thus, you can also find a speech pathologist based on your own requirements. Also, the list is published in the Official Gazette of the Republic.
9. How much do the services provided by Speech Pathologists cost?
SYEL has posted an indicative price list (find it here).
For information regarding speech therapy services within Gesy, click here.
10. Who is eligible for a grant from the RadioMarathon?
Children with special needs (mental, emotional or physical disability) up to 18 years of age, whose families meet the financial criteria set by the foundation, are eligible for a grant for speech therapy services from the Radiomarathonios Foundation.
For the examination of requests, it is necessary to submit an application (which you can download HERE)
For more information, visit the website of the Radiomarathonios Foundation
http://www.radiomarathonios.org/gr/
11. Where can I find information about the Greek National Health Insurance (GESY)?
