This is a book that I wrote to clear up misunderstandings among people of society as to what Language Therapy entails. Some people that notice I'm a little off but not too far from normal think, "Oh, you're taking language therapy, huh. Well, let's teach you how to be exactly like everybody else since that's what you are going for." That is not what Language Therapy is. Language Therapy is nothing other than therapeutic drills to increase a disabled persons ability to carry on better two way conversations, achieve better memory skills, know what to do in an emergency situation (Problem Solving, which is not math by the way) and trying to find better strategies to sequence items or events correctly. It is not an etiquette class and those who think so by their own bias can be very annoying. You do not have to be unable to speak at all or have pronunciation problems like some people think either. And, it is not a grammar class. What they mean by Language is "social language". The ability to use words fluently in a conversation and know what to say when you are trying to explain something to somebody or understand what they are trying to tell you. It is not a class to make you a carbon copy of everybody else like some people think. It is only a means of therapy used to make the verbal language everyone else has easier to achieve for the disabled person when they talk to people, when they try to remember things, when they try to figure out what you are trying to tell them. when they try to comprehend what they are reading. It is to help them be able to better find the right words and phraseology for their conversations, not make them a robot. They will never be like you and they are not expected to be like you either. They are given therapy to make the things that are difficult for them easier to achieve so they don't have to struggle quite as hard to do what everybody else does easily. These people work with Aphasics, Autistics, Dyslargic People, Laryngectomy Patients, Voice Disorders, Stuttering, Cerebral Palsy, Alzheimer's Dementia, and several other areas like these that cause individuals difficulties in the language center of the brain. They are there to make things easier and still allow you to be yourself and find what looks good on you so you can be yourself and still get across the right way what you want to say or do or achieve. They are there to give positive reinforcement for these individuals not to condemn them and not to use constructive criticism as some would say. They are there to help, not condemn. It is like going to a Special Ed class to help you do better with your school work, but only it is not school work, it is language therapy. They're there to act like tutors with language instead of school work not gripe you out like a football coach. That's not what it's about. So, please let the therapist do there job and meet the needs they are there for for their clients and lay off and quit trying to change people yourself.
