What are the warning signs your child needs a speech therapist?

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If your child demonstrates a lack of speech development, it may be time to seek speech therapy. There are several signs to look out for, including stuttering, omitting final consonants, slurring, or omitting a single word. While all of these signs are serious, they may not be the only ones your child has.

Stuttering

When children stutter, they will stretch and repeat words, and they may also make funny faces while talking. If your child repeats words or blocks before completing a sentence, it is essential to consult a speech therapist. Additionally, stuttering may be a symptom of counselling hamilton

A speech-language pathologist can evaluate a child’s speech and determine if the condition is a short-term or long-term problem. A speech-language pathologist will also help parents deal with their child’s stuttering. A speech-language pathologist will teach the parents and child how to respond to this condition. Ultimately, a stuttering child needs to learn the skills to deal with difficult situations.

Substituting words

One of the warning signs your child needs a speech therapist is frequently substituting words for familiar ones. It can be a symptom of autism or another speech-related disorder. Despite its common appearance, these symptoms are often mild and can be corrected over time. Among the most common speech problems are omitting final consonants, fronting, and difficulty coordinating the muscles in the mouth.

omitting final consonants

Another warning sign of speech problems is omitting final consonants. Most children stop deleting final consonants when they reach two or three years of age. Other symptoms are initial consonant deletion (IDD) and weak syllables. These warning signs of deafness may require speech therapy to remedy. Omitting final consonants is one of the warning signs your child needs a speech therapist.

If your child is missing or devoicing final consonants, it may be a sign of autism. Another common symptom is repetition, and it is usually corrected by age three, but sometimes it takes a bit longer. You can find out if your child is having trouble with specific sounds by scheduling a free phone consultation and filling out a short questionnaire.

Another warning sign of apraxia of speech is that your child makes errors during their speech. They may make many errors in one word and then fail to produce that same sound in the next word. Their speech unit also tends to be simple and consists of only consonant-vowel pairs. Additionally, they may not be able to change the pitch during speech production.

Simplifying sound combinations

Speech therapy can help develop the range of sounds a child can produce and improve language development. It can also be necessary for children with articulatory issues, such as a weak syllable or difficulty coordinating speech muscles.

Fronting is another common warning sign your child may need speech therapy. This omission occurs when the tongue moves toward the front of the mouth instead of the back. It affects sound combinations like d, s, and k, and can be a warning sign your child needs a speech therapist. It is a common problem in young children, and treatment should begin before the child reaches this age.

Cleft palate

Your child’s speech may have various problems related to the cleft palate. While some children’s speech problems may not be apparent when they are young, they will need to be treated to attend school and interact with others. Depending on the severity of the speech problem, your child may benefit from speech therapy to help them develop their speech skills.

If your child has a cleft lip and palate, speech therapy is essential to help them learn the proper pronunciation of words. The proper oral and facial function can be difficult and frustrating without speech therapy. 

Your child might need speech therapy in Perth for the underlying structural differences in their palate. These differences can cause speech sound errors and may result from compensation strategies by the child. These speech sound errors are called articulation disorders. Children with a cleft palate may replace front stop sounds with throat sounds. Or they may force their vocal folds together for front stop sounds. It can lead to various speech sounds, including missing starting consonants and ending vowels.