Does my child need speech therapy?

One of the most common questions we receive as speech-language pathologists is, "Does my child need speech therapy?" While we can only officially answer that question after working with your child directly, there are some common signs that we look for when conducting screenings. ALWAYS consult with a speech language pathologist in your area if you have communication concerns; it is always better to get a personalized professional opinion regarding your child's unique development rather than taking a "wait and see" approach. Looking for an SLP to consult with in North Carolina, Virginia, or California? We can help!

Some of the signs your child may need to be seen by an SLP:

• Hasn't said 1-2 words by their first birthday

• Not using 50 words by 18 months

• Not using 300 words and combining 2+ words by 24 months

• Hard to understand: most children are about 75% intelligible at age 3 and 100% at age 4. This means that other people can understand about 75% of what your child says at age 3, and 100% at age 4.

• Frustrated or emotional when trying to communicate, or not communicating at all

• Unable to correctly produce the following sounds by the end of age 3: p, b, m, d, n, h, t, k, g, w, ng, f, y

• Unable to correctly produce the following sounds by the end of age 4: l, j, ch, s, v, sh, z

• Unable to say all of their speech sounds correctly by age 5 or 6

• They are stuttering, which may look like repeating or drawing out sounds and words, or getting "stuck" when speaking

• They make grammatical errors that are not appropriate for their age, or have difficulty learning new words and using them similarly to their peers

• Difficulty with reading and writing school

• Trouble making conversation similarly to their peers,

• Social challenges, including developing and maintaining friendships

• Struggling to follow directions and/or remember/retell verbal information

Find more developmental norms for your child's age from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association here

If your child has difficulty with any of above items, we would love to talk with you. Give us a call at (336) 370-5004 to schedule a free, 15-minute initial screening with a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. You don't have to walk the road alone. Let's get your child talking and build a confident communicator, together!