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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Speech and Language Pathologist?
What are the warning signs of a communication or speech disorder?
If you suspect that your child’s communication skills are not consistent with their peers, address these concerns with your pediatrician and ask for a referral for a Speech and Language evaluation by a certified Speech and Language Pathologist. Early intervention is the key to establishing competent communication skills, sound social-emotional development, and in establishing future learning capability. Here are some key warning signs to look for:
Birth to Six Months
- Lack of response to sound
- Lack of interest in communication
- Feeding problems
- Doesn’t localize to sound
Six to Twelve Months
- Groping or awkward movements when attempting to make or imitate sounds
- Limited sound production, child doesn’t attempt to imitate speech
- Feeding, chewing and/or swallowing difficulties
- Doesn’t respond to smiles and verbal interaction
Twelve to Twenty-Four Months
- Has difficulty understanding simple words or directions
- Cannot answer simple yes/no questions
- Cannot name simple objects/actions
- Limited vocabulary
- Poor eye contact
- Limited social interaction
- Difficulty sitting for listening activities or stories
- Grunting/gesturing as main form of communication
- Groping or awkward movements when attempting to make or imitate sounds
Three to Four Year Olds
- Limited Vocabulary
- Communicating with 1-3 words or phrases instead of using sentences
- Increased frustration when not understood
- Unclear speech that is not easily understood outside of those that live in the home
- Not able to follow multi-step directions
- Unable to answer the “W” questions (who, what, where, when, why)
At what age should I get help?
What is a speech disorder?
What is a Language Disorder?
What is Apraxia of Speech?
Apraxia of Speech is a motor-speech programming disorder. Simply stated, the difficulty for these children comes when they attempt to combine sounds to form words. They may have the ability to say the sounds individually, but they have trouble sequencing all of the movements necessary to combine them into words, phrases and sentences. Their speech is often highly unintelligible and they can become very frustrated.
Does my child stutter or are his dysfluencies normal?
The following are some warning signs that may warrant a second opinion:
- Struggle and tension in their body language as they are working thru the dysfluency
- Tremors or uncontrolled quivering of the lips or tongue while the child is repeating or prolonging the sound
- Prolonging a sound or syllable, such as rrrrrrrun or part word repetitions, such as ta-ta-ta-table
- If you feel that you are witnessing any of these signs or that the frequency of your child’s dysfluencies are increasing, please contact our office to talk about it.