At birth, babies can only cry to express their wishes. As they grow and develop, babies begin to recognize and learn to speak by imitating what they hear. One of the characteristics of a good child’s growth and development is marked by those who begin to learn to talk little by little. But sometimes, it may happen that toddlers do not develop some skills as expected. These occurrences are considered normal, and we can fix this issue with speech therapy for your toddler. 

Some babies take even more time to utter their first words. For example, some children have difficulties pronouncing particular letters or words, so their parents opt for speech therapy for toddlers.

None of this is concerning if you notice it on time and treat it appropriately. Many professionals nowadays know how to deal with these problems.

Do children need a speech therapist?

Children that experience any communication issues are often referred to speech therapists for toddlers. The goal is to help the child fix potential speech disorders as early as possible.  Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), also referred speech therapists, are there to help your child work on their speech before it gets too late. 

How can speech therapists help your toddler?

Speech therapists are trained professionals that help children and adults with different speech-related issues.

Speech-language pathologists help with lisps and stuttering, but they also help in numerous other ways. We are going to list a few so you can get a grasp of how they operate :

• Speech disorders, including articulation and motor speech disorders, among many others
• Fluency disorders, such as stuttering
• Voice disorders
• Cognitive-communicative disorders such as social-communication skills or reasoning
• Some children have difficulty swallowing their food. There might be deeper issues that cause them to affect their speech, so speech therapy for toddlers can certainly help. 

5 Warning Signs Your Toddler Should See an (SLP) Speech-Language Pathologist

Don’t worry if your child can’t talk at the age of 2 years. Your child can still pursue learning speaking in a few weeks. Most importantly, we can understand the signs of speech delay in children. However, particular problems may occur that need to be treated on time.

Here are some of the signs that might indicate that your toddler needs speech therapy.

Your child has a stutter

Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by problems with the fluency and flow of the sufferer’s speech. Generally, this condition occurs in children and is a normal phase in the process of learning to speak. Some children can go through this condition as they grow, but some continue to experience it into adulthood.

Stuttering happens suddenly, but parents can notice it. If you see your child making a weird face while talking or if he’s experiencing any discomfort when trying to produce a sentence, the chances are high that your child is stuttering.

As soon as you notice anything odd, visit a speech therapist to help you change this before it is too late.

Your toddler only says a small number of words

There is an approximate number of words that children of a particular age can say. 

For example, children around a year and a half old can say over 20 words, and children between 1.5 and 2 years old can say over 50 words. Anything less than that is slightly concerning and asks for a therapist’s attention. 

It is not the most accurate indicator, but it is wise to check things out from time to time. 

Your child has issues articulating certain sounds

Articulation is also an essential part of your child’s development. If you notice that your toddler cannot produce clear sounds, make sure to take them to a specialist. You can detect this issue by listening to your child and seeing how many sounds they use. Some children use a limited number of sounds for all words, omitting many vowels and consonants. 

Good articulation is essential, and speech therapists do not take this issue lightly.

Your child doesn’t understand simple statements

When you ask your child simple questions or make clear orders, and they do not understand, this might be a reason to see an SLP. Of course, this refers to the children who seem to have comprehension issues by the age of two.

Toddlers can understand over 300 words by that age, which means they should know when you say “bring me the toy” or “do you want chocolate.”

Your child is quiet in social situations

Children cannot immediately blend in when dealing with a new social environment, it is natural, because they too, like other adults, need time to get to know their social environment, and then they can blend in well. However, if they are constantly quiet at social gatherings or have trouble expressing themselves, you might want to consider taking them in for speech therapy for toddlers. 

This sign can be confusing, but it is not something to be excluded. Pay attention to your child’s personality and social behavior.

At what age is speech therapy for your toddler recommended?

There is no age measure for seeing a speech therapist, but please note that at a certain age, some issues can be found:

• One year old: A child around 12 months old should understand some basic things and make specific movements such as nodding.
• Two years old: Children can form sentences and use a significant number of words at this age.
• Three years old: At this point, your child’s vocabulary should contain many words.

If your child is having trouble with all this issues, make sure to sign them up for speech therapy.

Speech therapy practices for your two-year-old at home

In a matter of months, children will experience extraordinary growth. Starting from learning to crawl, walk, talk, to socialize. Child development will appear at certain ages. This cannot be generalized to all children. For instance, most babies begin to crawl between 6 and 10 months, and the vast majority are accomplished walkers by 15 months. The same with start speaking too. From 0-3 months of age, baby cries and coos. And for their first word by age 1, and they should know about 20 words by 18 months. It’s okay, if your child is behind these targets. Every child has a different phase of growth. 

But If you’re struggling to find ways to practice your child’s speech at home, you can make an appointment with speech therapist at Mascot speech therapy

Conclusion

Recognize the signs that your child may have a speech disorder. Therefore, continuously monitor the behavior of the child if you want to know if your child has the potential to have a speech disorder and must be treated immediately. 

If you think your child may be a candidate for speech therapy, schedule a consultation with one of our talented therapists in our speech pathology clinic in Sydney.