5 Signs Your Toddler Needs Speech Therapy
Children go through a lot of development in their early years. They typically learn to babble, crawl, speak, and walk during their first years of life. It is not uncommon for toddlers to fail in the development of specific skills as expected. These instances are usually entirely normal and can be corrected with speech therapy for your toddler.
Some children, for example, have trouble pronouncing specific letters or words in a way that makes their parents seek speech therapy and professional help for toddlers. As a result, some babies take even longer to say their first words.
This article will try to inform you about this phenomenon and help you realize that none of this is a cause for concern if you recognize it on time and treat it appropriately. Moreover, many professionals nowadays understand how to deal with these issues, giving you plenty of flexibility in determining the best solution.
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Is Speech Therapy a Good Option for Your Toddler?
Children who have communication problems are frequently referred to speech therapists for toddlers. The therapy is used to treat the problem. The goal is to assist the child in correcting any potential speech disorders before they worsen.
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are available to assist your child in improving their speech before their problems get out of control. They are also known as speech therapists.
How Can Speech Pathologists Assist Your Toddler?
Speech therapists are educated professionals who assist children and adults with various speech-related issues. Their primary focus during their educational process is human anatomy and physiology. They do, however, study other fields such as linguistics, psychology, neurology, and so on.
Speech-language pathologists assist with lisps and stuttering, but they also assist in a variety of other ways. We’ll go over a few of them so you can get a sense of how they work:
- Many different types of speech disorders exist, including articulation and motor speech disorders.
- Stuttering is an example of a fluency disorder.
- Disorders of the voice
- Disorders of cognitive-communicative functioning, such as social communication or reasoning
- Some children have swallowing problems when they eat food
- Some children have swallowing problems when they eat food, which may be the result of underlying issues that also affect speech. Toddler speech therapy can also help with this.
5 Signs Your Toddler Should See a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)
Not all children are required to develop in the same manner. Some children are more forward-thinking, while others take longer to make an impact on development. However, specific issues may arise that must be addressed as soon as possible.
Here are some of the signs showing that your toddler may require speech therapy:
Your child has a stuttering problem
Having a stutter is a speech condition due to the lack of ability to produce smooth and fluent sentences. Many children are affected by this condition, and different treatments are available.
Stuttering usually begins around the age of two or three, when children start to form coherent sentences. But, of course, this is not always the case, as some children begin stuttering later in life.
Stuttering occurs suddenly, but parents are aware of it. For example, if you notice your child making a strange face while speaking or if he is uncomfortable when trying to make a sentence, there is a solid possibility that he is stuttering.
As soon as you notice anything out of the ordinary, consult a speech therapist to help you change it before it’s too late.
Your toddler only speaks a few words
Children can say a certain number of words of a certain age. Children as young as a year and a half old can say more than 20 words, and children as young as 1.5 to 2 years old can say more than 50 words. Anything less is cause for concern and requires the services of a therapist.
This is not the most reliable indicator of a problem, but checking things out on time is prudent.
Your child cannot articulate certain sounds
Articulation is also an important part of your child’s growth. If you notice that your toddler is unable to produce clear sounds, take them to a specialist.
You can identify this problem by listening to your child and counting the number of sounds they use to produce words. Some children use only a few sounds for all words, leaving out many vowels and consonants.
Good articulation is critical, and speech therapists do not take it lightly.
Your child cannot understand simple sentences
If your child finds it difficult to respond to simple questions or cannot understand and follow your clear instructions, it may be time to consult with an SLP. Of course, this refers to children under the age of two who appear to have comprehension issues.
By the time they get two years old, toddlers can comprehend over 300 words, so they should understand when you say “bring me the toy” or “do you want chocolate?”
Many children are extremely shy. However, if they constantly refuse to talk when socializing or have difficulty expressing themselves, you should consider enrolling them in speech therapy for toddlers.
This sign can be disconcerting, but it should not be overlooked. Keep a close eye on your child’s personality and social behavior.
When is Speech Therapy Recommended for Your Toddler?
It is not too early to look for signs of speech disorders. However, there is no specific age at which a child should be checked for potential speech disorders.
However, some issues are associated with a specific age:
1 year old
A child of around 12 months old should comprehend some basic concepts and motions such as nodding. If your child is having difficulty with this, make sure to enroll them in speech therapy.
2 years old
At this age, children can make sentences and use a large number of words.
3 years old
Your child’s lexical resources should be quite extensive at this age. However, if your child is three years old and still cannot understand or pronounce many words, take them to a speech therapist.
Speech therapy near me in Las Vegas
Adults and children can benefit from a variety of speech therapy services provided by the Health and Care Professional Network. Since 2006, we have provided the best therapies in Las Vegas. In addition, our professionals can advise you on the type of service you require.
