Did you know that 5% of children in the United States have speech issues?
Sadly, many parents are unaware that their child may have speech problems. Due to their ignorance, they fail to seek help for their children.
Besides, some parents find speech therapy costly. Others consider speech therapy time-wasting.
Hence, they do not understand the speech therapy benefits. By delaying speech therapy, your child may permanently be unable to communicate properly with you or their peers.
Are you still unsure whether you should seek speech therapy near me for your child? If so, here are 5 warning signs your child may need speech therapy.
1. Stuttering
At first glance, a stuttering toddler doesn’t seem abnormal. After all, they are still learning to speak. Stuttering becomes an issue when your child doesn’t outgrow it at six years old.
Besides struggling to read or talk, your child may develop secondary symptoms like facial tics and rapid eye blinks.
A speech therapist will thus help a child speak slower to make their stuttering inconspicuous.
2. Phonological Mistakes
It is typical for children to mix up sounds during their infancy stage. For instance, they may pronounce “vast” as “fast” or “run” as “one.” If your child faces this problem at three years old, you may have to consider speech therapy.
Your child may be unable to coordinate the movement of their speech muscles. A speech therapist will thus conduct articulatory exercises with them. The best speech therapy session should incorporate different activities to avoid monotony.
Here is more info on how a speech therapist can help your child.
3. Not Pointing
By the time your child is a year old, they should accompany their speech with pointing. Pointing proves that the child can communicate what they want despite their limited speech abilities. If your child barely points at objects, they may have autism.
A speech therapist will help a child understand how both verbal and non-verbal communication work. The child will thus understand why pointing is helpful during communication.
4. Unintelligible Speech
At two years old, the child begins to say 50% of recognizable words. We, therefore, do not expect them to be perfect speakers yet. However, if you can barely understand what they say most of the time, they will need help.
There are many reasons for unintelligible speech, such as hearing problems, resonance issues or articulation problems. A speech therapist will be able to find out the exact issue and offer a diagnosis.
5. Avoids Talking in School
Your child may be talkative at home. Shockingly, your child’s teachers inform you that your child barely talks in school.
Some children are talkative around people they are accustomed to. In school, they encounter unfamiliar children.
In this instance, the cause of the problem requires behavioral action. Speech therapists will thus work with behavioral therapists to explore ways a child can overcome their fear of speaking.
Help Your Child Overcome Speech Issues Through Speech Therapy
Your child is likely to be bullied at school due to speech problems. As a result, they may sink into depression. In avoiding this problem, speech therapy is invaluable.
Apart from enunciating correctly, your child will gain confidence through the therapy. Because of this, they can defend themselves verbally without being self-conscious.
Did you find this blog informative? Visit our website for more informative blog posts.
