What are the signs that a child needs speech therapy? (Answer from an SLP)

A child begins to communicate their needs at an early age, and there surely isn't anything more rewarding than being able to understand their child, for a parent.

If a child faces difficulty in understanding others or expressing their thoughts, due to various causes ranging from speech delay or phonological disorders to autism spectrum disorder, it can have an impact on the personal as well as social life of the child in their life ahead.

Speech therapy is helpful in evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of speech and language disorders.

Few signs your child might need speech therapy are

1. By 12 months the baby isn't using gestures, such as waving bye-bye or pointing at objects

2. By 18 months the baby prefers gestures over vocalizations to communicate and has trouble imitating sounds

3. The child has trouble understanding simple verbal requests

4. By 2 years the child repeatedly says few words only and has trouble using oral language to communicate more than their immediate needs

5. Stuttering is normal when a child is developing speech but if it persists beyond 5 yrs of age it is an indication for speech therapy.

6. Hearing loss

7. The child has difficulty using gestures or maintaining eye contact, it can be a sign of autism.

8. The child has difficulty in reading and writing.

9. In ADHD , where the child may have difficulty in focusing and they may present with hyperactive behavior.

10. Lisping - due to improper placement of the tongue the child may have difficulty in pronouncing certain sounds correctly.

11. The child can't follow simple directions

12. The child has an unusual voice for instance their voice is raspy, or hoarse.

13. In developmental anomalies like cleft lip and cleft palate or palatopharyngeal insufficiency.

Speech therapy can be helpful in a wide range of speech and language disorders in children. With timely intervention speech therapy can have a significant positive impact on the life of the child.

Sounderic provides online speech therapy for children with various communication disorders. We would love to help you. Get in touch with us on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/c/919644466635 or schedule a consultation with us at https://www.sounderic.com/service-page/speech-language-consultation-for-kids.

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Reach out to us at https://wa.me/p/5306755506070852/919644466635 to schedule a consultation with us.

Reference

1. https://www.asha.org/public/early-identification-of-speech-language-and-hearing-disorders/

2. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language

3. https://www.sounderic.com/post/what-you-should-know-about-speech-delay-in-children