You’ve read all the parenting books, scoured the internet and checked with friends on Facebook… but you’re still not sure if your child needs speech therapy. It can be hard to know the best time to take your child to see a specialist. So many sources tell you different things. Sometimes even health professionals such as GPs disagree on whether or not a child should see a speech therapist. Here are a few tips on when to seek advice.
Early intervention is key
Maybe your child is 18 months and not using any words. Maybe they’re turning two and can’t seem to put two words together. Or maybe you’re finding you’re saying ‘what?’ in response to most of the things your three-year-old is saying. Often, family and friends will respond to your concerns with ‘They’ll grow out of it!’ or ‘Tommy was a late talker too, and he grew up fine.’ Sometimes, that is true. 70 to 80% of late talkers do catch up to their peers by the time they enter school.
But what about the 20 to 30% who don’t? There are some risk factors, such as a history of ear infections, little or no babbling as a baby, and a family history of language difficulties. But there are no definite signs to tell us whether or not a child is going to catch up to their peers. So while your child may be in the 70 to 80% who catch up, there’s no way to know for sure until they don’t. Even children who do ‘catch up’ are at higher risk of difficulties when they start school such as literacy challenges, delayed language skills such as vocabulary and grammar, and skills that revolve around language (social skills, behaviour, organisation and attention).
Intervention is more likely to work when it starts early. If you have concerns, the sooner you can get your child in to be assessed, the better! Children learn quickly from birth to age 5 as their brains develop. Even if you are not sure your child is ready for ongoing therapy, your speech therapist can give you strategies to start using at home that may give your child the boost they need.
Consider the milestones
Language develops rapidly from birth to age 5. From speech sounds to social skills to language, children develop a variety of complex abilities in the first five years of their life. If you’re unsure where your child is at, it can help to look at the milestones children are expected to reach by their age. If your child hasn’t met one or more milestones, it may be the earliest sign that they have a developmental delay. Download our language milestones and social skills milestones charts.
Trust your gut
At the end of the day, you are the person around your child the most. If you have concerns about your child’s language development, then it may be time to get your child assessed. The worst that can happen is your child is where they should be for language development, and you’re sent home with some new language strategies and peace of mind.
How we can help: Assessment →