ABSTRACT
Speech and language disorders first became recognized in Bulgaria at the beginning of the nineteenth century and specialized speech and language assessment and treatment were applied to children with developmental disabilities after 1878. In 1909, at the insistence of eminent Bulgarian medical doctors and specialists in pedagogy, the Sofia School Board opened classes for stuttering children. Modern speech and language services in Bulgaria are provided in three sectors – health, education and social services. The Bulgarian neurologist and neuropsychologist Radoslav Raichev was a serious contributor to the development of Bulgarian speech and language therapy (SLT). Since 2002 in Bulgaria, SLT training has included two parallel strands of activity: public health and education. Intervention approaches include the development of parent–child interaction and direct interventions generally focus on structural and pragmatic language skills. The National Network of Speech and Language Therapists in Bulgaria were founded in 2017 and provide different types of continuous discussions about child language, including professional forums.
