How to Know Your Child Needs Speech Therapy

 

Photo by Magda Ehlers

As a homeschooling parent, you want to know that your child is hitting the right development milestones. When your child fails to meet these milestones they can cause a lot of concern and worry. 

If you notice that your child is not communicating as effectively as other children their age it may be that they need pediatric speech therapy. Here are some signs that your child may need help with their speech. 

Lack of Babbling

You may start noticing problems with speech from a very young age. Once your child is a few months old they should start making babbling sounds. 

If your child is very quiet between the age of 6 months to 9 months old and they're not trying to babble or make some form of sound there is likely a problem. You can discuss it with your pediatrician and they will know whether or not you need to find someone who specializes in speech therapy for kids.

Difficulty With Specific Sounds

If a child has speech issues they will have difficulty pronouncing certain letters of the alphabet. If you notice that specific letters of the alphabet are particularly challenging for your child, they likely have some kind of speech disorder that can be rectified using therapy. 

All children will have difficulty pronouncing some words as they grow up. However, when it is consistent especially with certain letters, it is time for you to seek professional help.

Simple Requests

Your toddler should be able to respond to simple requests that you give them. If you notice that your child is not responding to your verbal request, and does not seem to understand simple instructions it's time for you to get professional intervention. 

Ask your doctor what is age appropriate for your child and if you find that your child is not understanding you, take action to get them some help as soon as possible.

Additionally, if you notice that your child does not speak in sentences when they are responding to you, try to help them to form short sentences. If you notice your efforts are not paying off, get professional help.

Get the Help You Need

It is easy to go into denial when your child is not developing as expected. However, even though this may be difficult for you as a parent to face, the only way to make sure that you can help your child is to accept the challenges they are facing so that you can help them to address them. 

You can work with a speech therapist to assist your child. Your therapist will have sessions with your child to help fix their speech problems but they will also give you strategies that you can use at home to help speed up the process.

You can also try to use online learning programs to help your child catch up with their learning and speech. Programs such as ABCmouse and others are very useful for helping kids to interact in fun ways and learn at the same time.

Having a problem with speech does not mean that your child will not grow up to be successful academically. If you take steps to address the problem your child will get on the road to success.