Habilitation in a therapy context refers to services and strategies that help individuals develop new skills and functions, rather than regain skills that were lost. In speech-language pathology, habilitative therapy often applies to young children or others who have never acquired certain communication abilities due to developmental delays, congenital conditions, or hearing loss. For example, an SLP providing habilitation might work with a nonverbal child to help them acquire language for the first time, focusing on building vocabulary, speech sounds, or alternative communication strategies. This concept is important for SLPs because many clients need habilitative support—teaching foundational communication skills—to achieve functional communication and meet developmental milestones.
Hasselkus, Amy. “Habilitation: What It Is and Why It Matters to You.” The ASHA Leader 17, no. 1 (January 2012). Link
Hudson, Melissa W., and Margaret R. DeRuiter. Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. 5th ed. Plural Publishing, 2021.
