We all dream of our child’s first word or the first time they speak our names. But, the reality is not every child develops language equally. Sometimes, a child’s delayed speech is linked to a developmental delay. In other cases, a child is simply a late bloomer. Regardless, treatment with a qualified speech therapist can improve many speech delays. Much more goes into the act of speaking than you may realize. Physical, developmental, and neurological issues at play can complicate a child’s speech development. That’s a lot for any parent to grasp. Give yourself a break and seek speech therapy support.
What Is Speech Therapy?
A speech therapist is a trained and licensed professional who assesses and treats patients with speech development struggles. The right therapist can support children and their families by addressing speech, fluency, and other challenges that limit their communication ability. Speech therapists can also help patients who have trouble swallowing or suffer from picky eating.
Common Speech Delays
You may assume that teaching a child to speak should be simple. You demonstrate the sounds, and they repeat them. But most parents know it’s not that simple. There are a lot of important steps between the thoughts in your head the moment a word is spoken out loud.
Two common categories of speech delay are expressive and receptive delays. Expressive speech delays occur when a child understands language but can’t form the words to communicate normally for their age. These children understand what you’re saying and can follow instructions but lack vocabulary and may struggle to form sentences or remember words. Receptive speech delays occur when a child cannot process the messages and communications they receive from the world around them.
What Do You Do If Your Child Won’t Speak?
Don’t panic. It’s common for parents to feel pressure for their children to meet the standards they see other children meeting, but that only leads to heartache for your child and you. Kids develop at different speeds, and speech therapy could be the best way to support them at their specific level of need. The best way to figure that out is to talk to your child’s doctor. From there, they may recommend you get in touch with a speech therapist, and that’s where we come in!
Assess the Problem and Develop a Plan
A speech therapist can assess your child’s speech delay and provide clarification of the symptoms they’re experiencing. A proper diagnosis will help you set appropriate expectations for your child’s growth during therapy and throughout their lives. Some developmental disorders significantly impact speech, and it would be unrealistic to expect a child in that position to reach a “normal” level of speech. With the correct information, a speech therapist can develop a plan to help them meet goals appropriate to their abilities.
Work Together To Meet Your Child’s Goals
When you partner with a licensed professional, you no longer have to worry about your child’s speech alone. Likewise, speech therapy can provide parents and other support systems the resources to encourage continued progress even when the therapist isn’t in the room. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and when it comes to supporting your child as they learn to communicate effectively, a village may be just what you need.
Achieveability Therapy is an organization whose mission is to support children and their families through all kinds of developmental challenges. None is more or less important than giving your child the ability to communicate. Speech is an essential element of self-expression, and the ability to communicate can increase self-esteem. If speech delays are keeping your child from expressing themselves, our team of speech therapists can help. Contact us today to learn more about our services and to meet a member of our team who can help you.