4 Signs Your Child Needs A Speech Therapist

While it’s true that some children are late bloomers, it’s worthy to note that a few may never attain their speech milestones without some professional help, often that of a speech therapist.

Parents must therefore note the typical age range for each speech milestone to spot delays promptly and seek help, if necessary. Find 4 typical signs your child needs a speech therapist…

1. Limited Vocabulary & Comprehension
Typically, by 12 months, a child should be able to imitate your expressions and gestures distinctively and say at least one or two words, usually ‘mama’, ‘dada’, clearly.

By 2, they should have a growing vocabulary of at least 50 – 75 words, wave goodbye, point and name familiar objects and people, use ‘Bye-bye’, ‘No’, ‘Yes’, ‘Please’, ‘More’, ‘Hello’ and ‘Thank you’ appropriately, and be able to understand simple sentences said to them clearly.

By 3, you and others should be able to understand about three quarters of their speech, and by 4, they should be able to speak in a way that you and even those who are not familiar with them understand them clearly.

That said, if your child is already 4 but stutters most times he means to talk, prefers using gestures to words, uses much fewer words than others his age or his vocabulary does not improve, hardly understands or recalls simple instructions, and you and others have difficulty understanding what he says most times, get help immediately.

READ ALSO: Speech & Language Milestones for Children Below 6 Years: What to Expect

2. Can’t Combine Two or More Words at 2
From 2 years, most children can combine two or more words to form meaningful simple sentences. For instance, ‘Daddy play ball’, ‘Give me banana.’ If your child is unable to convey simple thoughts or requests by pairing up a few words in a way that you can understand at this age, you should consider getting help.

3. Can’t Produce Sounds Correctly
A typical 2-year-old should be able to pronounce words with easier sounds such as ‘p,’ ‘b,’ and ‘m’ correctly, and by 4, should have overcome difficulties producing words with ‘k’, ‘g’ and ‘r’. If your child is already 4 but can’t articulate the sounds highlighted correctly, for instance, he still pronounces ‘rabbit’ as ‘wabbit’, it could be a sign he needs help.

4. An unusual tone of voice
Apart from the aforementioned, if your child has an unusual tone of voice or pitch, it’s often a red alert and must be promptly evaluated.