SPEECH AND LANGUAGE

How do I know if my child has a communication delay or disorder?

A Speech Language Pathologist (speech therapist) can do a screen or full communication evaluation to determine if your child’s skills are within the normal range.

What is considered typical communication?

Here is a link to typical pediatric developmental speech and hearing norms http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart.htm

What should I do if I think that my child may have a speech or language problem?

 If you think your child may have a speech or language problem, you can contact an ASHA-certified Speech-language pathologist. SLPs help people develop their communication abilities as well as treat speech, languages, swallowing, and voice disorders. Their services include prevention, identification, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation.

FLUENCY

Is it normal for my 3 year old to stutter?

5% of children go through a disfluent stage that can last up to 6 months. The difficulty is determining whether your child’s disfluencies are typical or a true stutter. If your child’s disfluencies seem severe or last more than 3 to 6 months then early intervention with a speech language pathologist (speech therapist) is very important. Here are some links to a resourceful website that outlines some differences between typical developmental disfluencies and stuttering. http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=6

Here is a link of special accommodations and activities parents can do at home in order to support fluent speech. http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=151

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

What are the signs that my child may have Autism? http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/learn-signs

  • No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
  • No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
  • No babbling by 12 months
  • No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
  • No words by 16 months
  • No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
  • Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

What are the potential communication setbacks caused by learning more than one language?

Communication breakdowns can occur when people misinterpret your speech due to a thick accent. This can get in the way of job advancement, educational performance, and effect one’s self esteem. The following details the type of elected services provided by a speech therapist to address accent modification. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/accent_mod.htm

Will learning two languages cause my child to have speech or language problems?

No. Bilingual children develop language skills just as other kids do. They can however, experience setbacks while learning an additional language. Please see the following link for some ideas on how to best support your child’s development in multiple languages. http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/BilingualChildren.htm