When your child has the flu or a cold, you take them to see a doctor. If a child has communication difficulties such as not talking clearly or not understanding directions, you would take them to see a speech language pathologist also known as a speech therapist. Speech therapists are specialists who help people of all ages to develop communication skills. They are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders. These disorders may result from a hearing loss, mental disabilities, physical disabilities, or most commonly from unknown causes. Speech therapists develop individualized treatment plans based on findings from their evaluations as well as from collaboration of other medical and educational professionals. In addition to treating these disorders, speech therapists counsel and support individuals and their families. They do this by educating them on the speech/language disorder and on how to cope with the stress associated with these problems. They also help families on carry over of treatment techniques to use at home and on how to modify behavior that impedes communication. To learn more about "What are speech and language disorders" refer to the website below. Depending on the specific speech and language disorder of a child, a speech therapist will utilize many different methods or a combination of them.