Does my child need Speech Therapy?
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR CHILD NEEDS SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPY
Your child will need speech and language therapy if they show signs of a speech and/or language delay or disorder. If you’re concerned about their development, start by paying attention to which age-appropriate speech and language milestones your child meets, and which ones they don’t (yet). If you think your child needs support from a speech-language pathologist, don’t hesitate to consult a pediatrician and book a consultation!
HOW TO LOOK FOR SIGNS OF A LANGUAGE DISORDER
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), signs your child may need speech and language therapy because of a language disorder include:
Not smiling or interacting with others
Not babbling (4-10 months)
Making only a few sounds or gestures, like pointing (7-12 months)
Not understanding what others say (7 months-2 years)
Saying only a few words (12-18 months)
Not easily understanding words (18 months-2 years)
Not putting together sentences (1.5-3 years)
Struggling to play and talk with other children (2-3 years)
Having trouble with early reading and writing skills (2.5-3 years)*
* You may be wondering, “What are early reading skills?” Early reading skills include:
Making sounds or saying words when looking at pictures in books (1–2 years)
Pointing or touching pictures in books when you name them (1–2 years)
Turning pages in books (1–2 years)
Knowing that books have a front and back (2-3 years)
Enjoying books that have rhymes (2-3 years)
Pointing to and naming many pictures in books (2-3 years)
HOW TO LOOK FOR SIGNS OF A SPEECH DISORDER
According to ASHA, signs your child may need speech and language therapy because of a speech disorder include:
Saying p, b, m, h, and w incorrectly in words (1-2 years)
Saying k, g, f, t, d, and n incorrectly in words (2-3 years)
Producing speech that’s unclear, even to familiar people (2-3 years)
Reference:
https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=age-appropriate-speech-and-language-milestones-90-P02170
