Have you been wondering whether or not your child would benefit from speech therapy services? Are you noticing some language delays or articulation errors that make it difficult to understand them? When parents ask me if their child would benefit from speech therapy, I always recommend going ahead and getting an evaluation. After all, what will it hurt? I personally don't ever like the "wait and see" approach. If your child is having difficulty, let's go ahead and address it sooner than later. It's always easier to address the problem earlier, than try to play catch up once poor habits have formed later on. Looking at developmental milestones is a good way to determine whether your child is behind or not, but remember that every child is different and some may progress at different ages. Here are some very basic signs that your child may benefit from speech therapy:
They have a limited vocabulary. Again, remember to take a look at their developmental milestones and see where they fall as a general idea. By 12 months, baby's should have at least 1-2 words (e.g., mama, dada) and around 2 they begin putting 2 words together (e.g., dada go).
They have difficulty being understood by familiar listeners. If you and those that are around them regularly have difficulty understanding them, they may benefit from speech therapy services.
They become frustrated when they can't communicate their wants/needs. When your child begins acting out (e.g., biting, hitting), because they are frustrated when trying to communicate, this is a sign they may benefit from a speech therapy evaluation. We want to give kids a means to communicate to help them build more confidence and self esteem!
Here is a great resource for looking at developmental milestones: https://identifythesigns.org/communicating-with-baby-toolkit/
Again, I would much rather tackle speech/language issues early, than follow the "wait and see approach. If you are concerned about your child's speech/language skills and are located in the Lubbock, TX area. Contact us today for a speech therapy evaluation. I am a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and work with children birth to school age.
Contact us at:
Little Ones, Infant and Pediatric Therapy
(806) 370-0851