When children are developing, there is a lot that you need to keep a look out for, and this can make parenting in general very difficult. Something that you should be looking out for is your child’s ability to speak. There is no set time limit on when a child should be speaking or when they are going to be able to form longer sentences, but there are some signs that they might be developing slower than usual and, as such, could use the help of a speech therapist.
How Are Speech Therapists Able to Help Your Child?
Speech therapists and people who can offer ndis speech therapy can help your child with any of their speech-related issues. Throughout the entire educational process, the main focus of speech therapy is physiology and anatomy, that being said, the study also branches out into the likes of linguistics, neurology, and psychology too.
They can help with lisps and stuttering but can also assist in several other ways. Some of the other things that they can assist with include but are not limited to the likes of:
- Speech disorders, which include problems with articulation.
- Fluency disorders.
- Voice disorders.
- Problems surrounding cognitive communication, like a person’s social communication skills or reasoning.
- Other oral issues, like people having trouble swallowing their food, which can lead to deeper issues impacting speech.
Warning Signs Your Child Might Need a Speech Therapist
So, how are you going to be able to tell that your child might need a speech therapist? Some of the most common warning signs include the following:
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They Have a Stutter
Stuttering is a sign of a speech disorder, which refers to an inability of a child to produce smoother sentences. A lot of children have this issue and there are several different treatments available to them. Generally speaking, a stutter occurs in a child when they start creating cohesive sentences at around two or three years old, but this isn’t always the case, as a lot of children start stuttering later on in life as they develop.
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Your Child Can Only Say a Small Number of Words
Though the number of words a child can learn at the rate at which they learn them varies, there are approximate numbers that children should know at a certain age. For instance, children just over one can usually say about 20 words, which increases to 50 at the age of two. If your child is doing less than this, then it should be a concern and a sign they might benefit from seeing a speech therapist.
As previously mentioned, children pick things up and learn things at different rates, which means it may well be the case your child is just taking a little longer to master words than others. That being said, it is always worth making an appointment with a speech therapist to make sure your child has everything they need to develop properly.
