My 20-month-old hasn’t said their first word. Should they see a SLP?”
“No one can understand my 4-year-old when she talks. Should I take her to a SLP?”
“My 7-year-old can’t explain what he did at school when I ask. Should he see a SLP?”
A lot of parents and caregivers wonder if their child should see a SLP, for a lot of different reasons relating to communication. (See our last blog, What Does A SLP Do?, for information on all the areas of communication that a SLP can treat.) Childhood is a period of rapid growth and development for our kids, and we always want to make sure our kids are on track. Childhood speech and language development has milestones, which are periods of time where a skill is expected to develop. For example, we expect a baby to say their first word around their first birthday.
There are many milestones involved in speech and language development, starting even before a child begins talking! The milestones between birth and age five can be found in these helpful charts developed by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA).
For older, school-age children, issues with speech and language can usually be seen in difficulties understanding and using language, both spoken and written. You may notice that your child’s answer to a question is confusing, they can’t explain things they read, or their words seem out of order when they speak. There might be difficulties in learning to spell and read, such as matching letters to their sounds, rhyming, combining sounds into words, or clapping out syllables with their class. Later, you could notice that your child is struggling as reading demands increase and they’re expected to write about longer reading passages.
As a parent, you know your child better than anyone! If you notice your child isn’t meeting milestones at the appropriate time, is struggling at school, or you have other speech and language concerns, it’s best to contact a speech-language pathologist (SLP). We’re trained experts in assessing communication skills across all ages, and we can determine if speech therapy is recommended for your child.
When you notice your child seems sick or isn’t feeling well, you take them to the doctor to determine if there’s a problem and to help fix it. SLPs work the same way, but in the area of communication!
Whoa - I’m only concerned about certain sounds!
A lot of kids have a hard time with certain speech sounds such as S, L, R, SH, or others. Sometimes it’s almost impossible for family members to understand younger children because they’re struggling with many sounds. It’s really great that you’re tuned into this as a parent! It’s just as important to see a SLP if you’re concerned about certain speech sounds. Some sounds do develop later than other sounds. A screening or evaluation can determine if the sounds your child is struggling with are developmentally appropriate, or if they need speech therapy at this time. The earlier your child can receive help with tricky sounds, the better!
Why “Wait and see” could be a poor choice
Parents want the absolute best for their children. We all want our kids to grow up happy and healthy! It can be really difficult to admit that your child might be struggling, or may not be meeting developmental milestones. Raising these concerns with doctors or teachers may be met with a suggestion to “Wait and see,” meaning, don’t see a SLP right away and instead see if your child catches up on their own with time. While this sounds fine at first, if a child is truly behind in their communication skills, the “Wait and see” approach could be a poor choice.
Typically, when we “Wait and see,” a child will go down one of these paths: Catch up on their own though they were a “Late talker,” or, continue to have speech and language problems which will need to be addressed through speech therapy at a later age.
The more positive path would be the child catches up on their own. However, research has shown that a large number of “Late talkers” (children who struggle with speaking or understanding language early on but seem to catch up) continue to struggle in school through adolescence with important skills such as reading, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.
The less positive path is the child continues to struggle. Think of it this way: When your child enters Kindergarten, they are expected to learn a certain amount of new skills, and move on to first grade. However, if the child is already behind, they have to catch up on the skills they don’t have yet AND learn the new ones too. This is like climbing the same set of stairs as all the other children, but their staircase has 10 extra steps before they can start! This can be difficult and lead to a lot of frustration. This is how the “Wait and see” approach can delay speech therapy for children who truly need it; leading them to struggle longer than necessary.
If you have concerns, having an evaluation done by a SLP is the best thing you can do as a parent. The outcome will either be that your child’s development is fine, or that your child may need some support to get to the levels expected for their age. You and your child will receive excellent support when you partner with a SLP.
Important note: Between the ages of birth and three years old, supports given to children with developmental delays or disabilities are referred to as Early Intervention. Every US state and territory has an Early Intervention program that can be contacted if you or your child’s doctor believes your child is behind in meeting milestones. These programs have been shown to have a big impact on a child’s success in school. You can find your state’s program through the CDC’s website.
I hope you enjoyed this "funtastic" blog post!
- Amanda Sherman, MS CCC-SLP
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