Speech-Language Therapy FAQ

How do I know if my child needs speech??

Preschoolers often have trouble with pronounciations, as well as putting sentences together. However, pay attention to see if your child's speech is improving over time and if your child is talking very little.

Additionally, you should have your child evaluated at 20 to 24 months if he/she is exhibiting any of these things:

speaking in single words only, not using phrases or sentences
using mainly vowels to communicate and mispronouncing vowels
limited vocabulary
difficulties following simple directions and understanding basic prepositions
trouble pointing to objects in books
answering a question by repeating some of your question often instead of answering the question
difficulties using pronouns

By age 2

By age 3

By age 4

By age 5 to 6

Red Flags:

has a vocabulary of less than 100 words
isn't consistently using two words together like "shoes off" or "Mommy go"
doesn’t pretend with toys, such as feeding a doll
difficulty following one-step directions
has a decreased interest in social interactions
doesn’t imitate actions or words
difficulty answering “what’s that?” or “where” questions?

Red Flags:

strangers have difficulty understanding what the child is saying
difficulty following 2-step directions
demonstrates frustration when speech is not understood
does not use simple three-word sentences
doesn't ask questions
difficulty answering “who, what, and where” questions

Red Flags:

difficulty following three-step directions
not using at least four work sentences
difficulty listening to a short story and answering basic questions based on it

Red Flags:

difficulty retelling stories
not using at least six-word sentences
sentences are not grammatically correct
difficulty carrying on a conversation with adults or peers

Children should be understood 65% of the time to unfamiliar listeners.

Children should be understood 80% of the time to unfamiliar listeners.

Children should be understood almost always by both familiar and unfamiliar listeners.

b, p, m, n, h, w

t, d, f, v, k, g, y

ch, sh, j, ng, l, r, s, z, th

Early Sounds

Middle Sounds

Later Sounds

What should I expect during an evaluation? During therapy?

During an evaluation, you will be asked questions about your family history, pregnancy, prenatal, physical development, history of illnesses, speech and language development information, and communication concerns and strengths. Next, your child will be given a formal speech or language test as well as informal measures to evaluate your child and findings and recommendations will be made.

During therapy, goals are incorporated into play and targeted by using motivating activities and toys/games. Play is a natural part of your child's development and creates the desire for your child to communicate. It is important that the speech therapist establishes a rapport with your child so your child will feel comfortable with her so he/she can have success with future therapy sessions. The speech therapist will discuss specific concerns regarding your child's speech or language skills. You should also be given tips and ideas how to work with your child between therapy sessions to help speed along your child's progress and help your child meet his/her goals.