When should I take my child to see a Speech & Language therapist?
As a parent, it’s normal to compare your child’s development with other children of the same age and wonder if your child is on par. If you notice that your child is behind their peers in terms of speaking, understanding, reading, and writing, maybe it’s time to take your child to see a Speech & Language therapist to find out what’s the problem.
What can a Speech & Language therapist do?
A Speech & Language therapist, otherwise known as a Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.
Additionally, we also:
Provide aural rehabilitation for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Provide augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for individuals with severe expressive and/or language comprehension disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder or progressive neurological disorders.
Work with people who don't have speech, language, or swallowing disorders, but want to learn how to communicate more effectively (e.g., work on accent modification or other forms of communication enhancement).
A general guide to determine if your child needs help
Here are some signs that suggests your child might be facing some problems with the development of their Speech & Language skills.
1. Language or Communication Disorders
Language is made up of the words we use to share ideas and get what we want. Language includes speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. A child with a language disorder may have trouble with one or more of these skills.
Birth to 3 months – Not smiling or playing with others
4 to 7 months – Not babbling
7 to 12 months – Making only a few sounds. Not using gestures, like waving or pointing.
7 months to 2 years – Not understanding what others say
12 to 18 months – Saying only a few words
1½ to 2 years – Not putting two words together
2 years – Saying fewer than 50 words
2 to 3 years – Having trouble playing and talking with other children
2½ to 3 years – Having problems with early reading and writing. For example, your child may not like to draw or look at books.
2. Speech Sound Disorders
Speech is how we say sounds and words. It is normal for young children to say some sounds the wrong way. Some sounds do not develop until a child is 4, 5, or 6 years old. Signs of a speech sound disorder in young children include:
1 to 2 years – Not saying p, b, m, h, and w the right way in words most of the time
2 to 3 years – Not saying k, g, f, t, d, and n the right way in words most of the time. Being hard to understand, even to people who know the child well.
3. Stuttering
Young children may stutter for a little while. This is normal and will go away over time. Signs that stuttering might not stop include:
2½ to 3 years
Having a lot of trouble saying sounds or words
Repeating the first sounds of words, like "b-b-b-ball" for "ball"
Pausing a lot while talking
Stretching sounds out, like "fffffarm" for "farm"
4. Voice Disorders
We use our voice to make sounds. Our voice can change when we use it the wrong way. We can lose our voice when we are sick or after talking or yelling a lot. Signs that your child may have a voice disorder include:
Having a hoarse, scratchy, or breathy voice.
Sounding nasal, or like he talks through his nose.
5. Hearing Loss
Some children have a hearing loss at birth. Others lose their hearing as they get older. Some signs that your child may have a hearing loss include:
Birth to 1 year – Not paying attention to sounds
7 months to 1 year – Not responding when you call her name
1 to 2 years – Not following simple directions
Birth to 3 years – Having speech and language delays
Meet our Speech & Language Therapist
Carine El Lakis
Speech and Language Therapist
Masters in Speech and Language Therapy
Masters in Neuropsychology of Oral and Written Language
Carine El Lakis is a Speech Therapist with 7 years of experience in the field. Her clinical experience includes the planning and the administration of therapies to patients from all ages, especially children aged 2 to 12 years old with language disorders, communication disorders, feeding and swallowing disorders, learning disabilities, cognitive disorders and voice disorders.