What is speech therapy and does my child need it?

​The old smile and nod…. We all know it.  You do it when you don’t really know what someone is talking about, but you don’t want to bother them to repeat it or talk further about it.  I often see that when people ask me what I do, and I respond with “I’m a Speech Language Pathologist”.  When I see the smile and nod, I then clarify, “I’m a speech

 therapist" or "I do speech therapy". Typically, the next response is “Oh, so you teach people how to talk?”.  Well, yes, but I also work on a lot of other things people often don’t realize fall under the category of “speech therapy”.  So, what is speech therapy?
 
The visual below gives a brief overview of the different components of what Speech Language Pathologists (SLP’s) are capable of addressing:

​SLP's can be found in many different settings as speech therapy covers all stages of life from birth to death.
 
Another question I often get asked is “Does my child need speech therapy?”  Every child develops at a different pace and there is a wide range of “typical”.  Below are some red flags that may indicate your child could benefit from speech therapy:

​People also tend to ask about their children’s articulation skills.  Below is a visual of speech sounds and when they should be mastered.  If your child is not using the sounds correctly by the age listed, intervention would be beneficial:

If you are concerned about your child’s speech and/or language development, call/ask for a consultation!  It can never hurt, and it is never too soon (or too late) to get help!  For more information on what services I provide related to speech therapy, check out my services page.
 
If you would like more in depth information regarding speech and language developmental milestones, head on over to my website here, subscribe to my email list and you will get access to the FREEBIE library!

CREDIT: Information obtained from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association.  To find out more please visit www.asha.org