Compensatory strategies

What are compensatory strategies?

Our speech and language therapists help and support individuals with speech, language and communication or eating and drinking difficulties.

Our speech and language therapists can use a variety of treatment options when treating individuals with speech, language and communication difficulties. One treatment option is introducing compensatory strategies to the individual and their parent or carer which can help them to communicate more effectively.

Compensatory strategies are learning new or different ways of completing a task. Compensatory strategies help individuals and their parents or carers in practising new skills which will lessen the impact of their speech, language and communication difficulty. Compensatory strategies will compensate for the individual’s difficulties and help them to communicate more effectively.

For example, for an individual who has difficulty producing longer, more complex sentences, the speech and language therapist may suggest using shorter sentences, or keywords to help get their message across. The speech and language therapist will also provide compensatory strategies for parents or carers and other professionals involved in the individual’s care, in helping them to communicate and eat and drink more effectively.

The type of compensatory strategies chosen for the individual will depend on a number of factors, including, the severity of the individual’s eating, drinking and swallowing difficulty, their overall ability, their environmental needs and the underlying cause of their difficulty.

What are the benefits of compensatory strategies?

Compensatory strategies can benefit individuals who have any condition which causes speech, language and communication difficulties. Compensatory strategies can be used with both adults and young people with speech, language, communication or eating and drinking difficulties caused by a variety of conditions. Read more in conditions.

There are many benefits of using compensatory strategies. The main benefit is to lessen the impact of the individual’s speech, language, communication or eating and drinking difficulties. Other benefits of compensatory strategies include:

• Allowing the individual to participate in social opportunities.
• Allowing the individual to communicate more effectively with others.
• Advice and training for friends and family.
• Advice and training for other professionals involved in the individual’s care.
• Increased independence.
• Increased confidence and self-esteem.
• Ability to carry out everyday tasks more effectively.
• Improved quality of life.

Summary

Compensatory strategies are learning new ways of compensating for an individual’s speech, language, communication or eating and drinking difficulty. Compensatory strategies can also benefit parents, carers and other professionals involved in the individual's care. Our speech and language therapists will provide compensatory strategies which will improve and support an individual’s ability to communicate and eat and drink more effectively.

If you feel you may benefit from speech and language therapy or would like any more information on our services please email office@slt.co.uk or call 0330 088 5643.