When to Have Your Child Evaluated for Speech and Language Deficits

Whether you are a first time parent or a veteran caregiver, knowing when to have your child evaluated for any therapy services can be difficult. In order to fully understand when to have your child evaluated, it is important to understand the basics of speech and language development.

Typical Speech and Language Development

Language development is partly innate, but mostly learned. Children learn language by interacting with their environment and people. Language can be divided into two parts: receptive and expressive language. Receptive language is understanding incoming information. Expressive language is verbal, written, and gestural output. Although speech (or verbalization) is often used to communicate language, it is not necessarily required in order to have and show language skills. For example, sign language and reading/writing are other forms of language. Some major milestones that are associated with speech and language are a child's first words and being able to follow simple directions.

When To Seek a Consultation

Below you will find a short list of some common signs that will help you determine when (and if) you as a parent/caregiver should reach out for a speech and language consultation based on your child's age. To use this at-home screening accurately, ensure that you read the list associated with your child's age, as well as any lists that come before it. For example, if your child is 5 years old, you will read and evaluate each item from 6 months until 5 years old. This list is not extensive. So, if you have concerns that are not listed of your mother's (or father's) intuition is telling you that your child may need assistance, it is always better to reach out sooner rather than later.

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Seek out help if any of the following statements resonate with you :

My child is 6 months old and ...

• not babbling

• does not show interest in interacting with others

My child is 1 year old and ...

• only speaks a few words

• in unable to follow 1 step directions

My child is 2 years old and ...

• does not combine 2 or 3 words to speak in phrases

• does not understand 2 step directions

• I understand less than 50% of what my child says

• cannot articulate the following sounds accurately in the beginning, middle, or end of words: p ("pie" and "mop"), m ("moo" or "ham"), h ("happy"), n ("now" or "piano"), w ("win"), b ("bunny" or "tub")

My child is 3 years old and ...

• does not put words together to make short sentences

• has difficulty playing and talking with same age peers

• does not know common shapes, colors, numbers, and letters

• cannot answer "who," "what," and "where" questions

• unfamiliar listeners understand less than 75% of what your child says

• cannot articulate the following sounds accurately in the beginning, middle, or end of words: d ("dog" or "food"), g ("good" or "hog"), k ("kitty" or "hike")

My child is 4 years old and ...

• cannot answer "when," "why," and "how questions

• doesn't understand abstract concepts

• unfamiliar listeners do not understand most of what your child says

• doesn't use past tense -ed (ie- "I shopped at Target") verbs and possessive 's' markers ("This is mommy's shoe")

• cannot articulate the following sounds accurately in the beginning, middle, or end of words: f ("funny" or "tough"), y ("yak"), t ("toy" or "gut")

My child is 5 years old and ...

• doesn't use various sentence types and/or extended sentences

• does not use "and" or "or" to combine sentences

• cannot articulate the following sounds accurately in the beginning, middle, or end of words: ng ("kicking") and l ("light" or "pile")

My child is 6 years old and ...

• cannot articulate the following sounds accurately in the beginning, middle, or end of words: r ("run" or "car"), ch ("chat" or "catch"), sh ("shine" or "wash"), j ("jump" or "dodge")

My child is 7 years old and ...

• cannot articulate the following sounds accurately in the beginning, middle, or end of words: th ("them" "thumb" "feather" or "teeth"), s ("sun" or "yes"), z ("zoo" or "jazz"), v ("visit" "avenue" or "stove")

My child is 8 years old and ...

• cannot articulate words that include 2 sounds are blended together. The most common blends are s blends, r blends, and l blends. Some examples of each are as follows: S blends ("stove" "spoon" "skunk" "snake" "slide" "swing"), R blends ("brush" "frog" "grass" "crib" "drive" "train" "pretzel"), L blends ("blanket" "flag" "glue" "clock" "plane" "slide")

If the following statements apply to your child at any age, seek further consultation:

• My child repeats or stretches out initial sounds in words.

• My child shows or expresses discomfort and/or frustration while speaking.

• My child has inconsistent errors in his/her speech.

• My child has irregular rate, rhythm, or tempo when talking.

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Overall, the best time to seek out a speech and language evaluation is when YOU as a parent or caregiver have concerns. All too often, we see children who do not receive the therapy that they need to reach their maximum potential due to a non-professional friend or family member telling them to "wait and see." Getting the necessary services as early as possible reduces the effects that a speech and language disorder or delay can have on a child. After all, speech and language deficits can impact socialization, behavior management, reading, spelling, arithmetic, and more if not treated in a timely manner. If you have concerns for your child's speech and language skills, please reach out to us at 609-549-2177 or JustSpeechieSLPServices@gmail.com for a consultation to determine if an evaluation is warranted.