10 Early Signs That Your Child May Benefit From Speech & Language Therapy
Early intervention is key!
Have you been wondering when is the right time to speak to an SLT about your child’s speech and language development? The answer is now!
You can arrange a free telephone consultation to discuss your concerns with us.
1. They are not yet using any spoken words
Most children have their first word by the time they are one year old and approximately 50 words by the time they are two years old! At this point, they can begin to combine words to make short phrases, for example, “More banana” or “Mummy up”.
If your child is not yet using any spoken words or only a small number of words, this might be a sign of a delay.
Don’t forget about Gestalt Language Processing, where your child might be using lots of phrases from TV shows or songs, but can’t use their language functionally. Read more in our GLP Insights post here!
2. They don't combine words to make phrases or sentences
Once a child has about 50 words, they begin to combine words to make phrases and short sentences. By the age of two years, children typically combine two words to make a phrase. By the age of three years, children typically combine 3-4 words to create sentences, e.g. “Daddy get in car”, “I want to play”, “Me going now”.
3. They don't respond to their name
If your child doesn’t respond to their name, there could be a number of factors at play.
If you have any concerns around your child’s speech and language development, you should always request a hearing test to rule out any hearing difficulties.
A child who doesn’t respond to their name may have difficulties with their attention skills, delays in their understanding of language or it might be a sign of other possible diagnoses, such as Autism.
4. They don't follow your instructions
A two-year-old can usually follow two keyword instructions, for example, “Get your car and dinosaur”. A three-year-old child should follow 3 key words, for example, “Get your yellow raincoat and shoes”.
If your child is not following instructions, a Speech and Language Therapist can assess your child’s receptive language (understanding) skills.
5. Their speech isn't very clear so they're hard to understand
This is a big area! There are certain patterns of speech errors that can be expected, e.g. a two year old might say, “tat” instead of “cat”! But some children hang-on to these errors longer than normal, or they might use speech errors that are not seen in typical development, for example, using a “g” sound in the place of a “d” sound (“goor” for “door”).
6. They get frustrated when they can't get their message across
If your child becomes frustrated when they are not understood, a Speech and Language Therapist can help to pinpoint areas of difficulty and provide support to develop these areas.
7. They have difficulty remembering or recalling words
Have you ever had that feeling of a word being at the tip of your tongue, but you can’t quite remember it? Children with word-finding difficulties often have this. A Speech and Language Therapist can help to provide strategies and build vocabulary to support word retrieval.
8. They don't use gestures
Young children tend to begin to use gestures before they can speak. These gestures might include waving, pointing and clapping. If your child isn’t yet using these gestures, but they have motor control, it might be worth speaking to a Speech and Language Therapist.
9. They don't respond to their peers or become distressed around other children
A child might have difficulty interacting with other children or being around other children for a number of reasons. Some children might not have the vocabulary to say, “That’s my toy!” Or “Can I play?” And therefore have difficulty interacting with other children.
10. They have another diagnosis which is associated with speech, language and communication difficulties
A child with Autism, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy or another diagnosis which can have an impact on communication, may benefit from Speech and Language Therapy.
At Norfolk Private Speech & Language Therapy, we provide independent speech and language therapy for children presenting with all of the above and more!
We can provide Speech and Language Therapy home visits, visits to your child’s nursery or school or even find a community space to provide speech therapy near you! We are currently providing home visits, and school/nursery/day service visits in and around Norwich (Norwich City Centre, Eaton, Rackheath, Wroxham, Spixworth, Taverham and more!), Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
Contact us today for a free telephone consultation or to book an initial assessment.
