Does Your Child Need Speech Therapy?

Red Flags:

12 months

·       Does not babble, e.g. babababa, dadadada

·       Does not respond to name

·      Does not gesture, e.g. waving/shaking head for “no”/pointing

15 months

·      Does not point to pictures/objects/persons when named by parents

·      Does not point to things of interest

·      Does not understand and respond to “no”, “up”

·      Does not use at least three words

18 months

·      Does not follow simple one-step commands like “Get teddy”

·      Does not respond with words or gestures to “Where’s teddy?”, “Who’s that?”

·      Cannot point to at least 2-3 major body parts such as head, arm, eyes

·      Does not use at least 20 words like “Mummy” or “up”

2 years

·       Does not pretend play with toys, such as feeding doll or making toy man ride a horse

·       Does not use at least 100 words

·       Does not consistently join two words together, such as “car go”, “more juice”

2.5 years

·      Does not use at least 300 words

·       Does not use some adult grammar, such as “two doggies”, “daddy sleeping”

·       Does not use prepositions like “on/under” or action words like “run”, “eat”

·       Speech is mostly intelligible

3 – 4 years

·       Does not follow two-step directions

·       Does not ask questions

·       Does not use sentences, e.g., “I don’t want that”, “My doll is dirty”

·       Unable to tell a simple story by 4-5 years

·       Speech is 100% intelligible

At any age

·       Has regressed or lost previously acquired speech/language milestones

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering is a speech disorder that impacts the normal fluency and flow of speech. Stuttering is common among young children as a normal part of learning to speak. While most children outgrow this developmental stuttering, some children continue to stutter throughout childhood and into adulthood.

Stuttering Signs and Symptoms:

·       Repetitions - “I…I….I….wanna go…” or “What…what….what…is…?”

·       Prolongations – “Wwwwwwwwhere’s my drink?”

·       Blocks – complete stoppage of speech “…………… where is it?”

·       Extra words such as “um”

·       Excess tension, tightness or movement of the face/upper body

Impact of Stuttering:

·       Embarrassment

·       Frustration

·       Anxiety

·       Withdrawal

When to See a Speech Pathologist:

·       Lasts more than six months

·       Becomes more frequent

For more information on the Lidcombe Program, visit: http://www.lidcombeprogram.org/

References