About Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is a treatment for speech and language disorders. It involves exercises and techniques that improve communication skills. Speech therapy can help individuals with a variety of conditions including stuttering, apraxia, and voice disorders.

Speech therapy is generally recommended when a child is not meeting age-appropriate speech and language milestones or when there are concerns about a child's ability to communicate effectively. Early intervention is often beneficial, and while there's no strict age limit, it's advisable to seek an evaluation as soon as parents or caregivers notice potential delays or difficulties.

It’s important to remember that every child learns at their own rate. To help determine if your child is on the right track, consult these charts shared by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association which outline when most children should reach each milestone. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart/

The signs that your child might need a speech therapist are subtle, but noticeable. “One early sign that is usually a red-flag is a child that might be able to follow all of your commands but is having trouble verbalizing appropriate responses,” says Miller.

Other signs include:

12-15 months: 

• Only makes a few sounds. 
• Not using gestures like, waving or pointing. 
• Has not expressed first words. 

18-24 months: 

• Grunts and points rather than communicate when they want something.
• Not using two-word combinations frequently. 
• Leaving ends off words like “si-dow” instead of sit down. 

2-4 years: 

• Not putting two- and three-word combinations together. 
• Saying fewer than 50 words. 
• Mostly unintelligible speech. 

4-5 years: 

• Repeating the first sounds of words, like "b-b-b-ball" for "ball" 
• Unable to follow classroom directions, like “Draw a circle on your paper around something you eat.” 
• Repeats sounds or words most of the time.

Speech-language pathologists, also called SLPs, are experts in communication.

SLPs work with people of all ages, from babies to adults. SLPs treat many types of communication and swallowing problems. These include problems with:

Speech sounds—how we say sounds and put sounds together into words. Other words for these problems are articulation or phonological disorders, apraxia of speech, or dysarthria.

Language—how well we understand what we hear or read and how we use words to tell others what we are thinking. In adults this problem may be called aphasia.

Literacy—how well we read and write. People with speech and language disorders may also have trouble reading, spelling, and writing.

Social communication—how well we follow rules, like taking turns, how to talk to different people, or how close to stand to someone when talking. This is also called pragmatics.

Voice—how our voices sound. We may sound hoarse, lose our voices easily, talk too loudly or through our noses, or be unable to make sounds.

Fluency—also called stuttering, is how well speech flows. Someone who stutters may repeat sounds, like t-t-t-table, use "um" or "uh," or pause a lot when talking. Many young children will go through a time when they stutter, but most outgrow it.

Cognitive-communication—how well our minds work. Problems may involve memory, attention, problem solving, organization, and other thinking skills.

Feeding and swallowing—how well we suck, chew, and swallow food and liquid. A swallowing disorder may lead to poor nutrition, weight loss, and other health problems. This is also called dysphagia.

Taken from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association web page.

If you're interested in learning more about speech therapy services or would like to schedule an phone consultaion, please contact me on my email at - vanbikspeechtherapy@gmail.com.