Speech Therapy
Is Your Child Struggling with a Speech Problem?
Are you concerned that your child struggles to speak clearly? Does it seem that he doesn’t make and use speech sounds correctly? Is he frustrated because he is continually asked to repeat himself? Does your child struggle to produce speech that is easy and smooth; does she repeat sounds, words, phrases, or even whole sentences? Is she frustrated and upset because she can’t get the words out to say what she wants to say? Does your child’s voice sound right for his age or gender?
These are examples of speech problems your child may be experiencing, causing you to feel concerned and unsure about how to best support and help him. Watching your son or daughter struggle to produce speech and connect with others can be a painful experience. You may feel confused and frustrated as you try to understand what is happening to your child and to figure out the best way to help him end his struggle.
Is Your Child Struggling with a Language Problem?
Perhaps your child doesn’t have a speech problem at all, but struggles with language. Does your child have difficulty listening, following directions, or understanding longer, more complex sentences? Does your child’s vocabulary seem too small or are his sentences incomplete? Is he unable to express his needs, wants, ideas, and thoughts at home, at school, and in social settings?
These are examples of language problems your child may be experiencing. Just like the parent of a child with a speech problem, you may feel unsure how to best support and help your child. You likely worry about your child’s happiness, school success, and personal success.
As your child grows older, she will face more difficult communication challenges at home, at school, and in her community. Whether your child struggles with speech problems, language problems, or both, you want to do everything possible to give your child the skills she needs to communicate clearly and confidently now and throughout her life.
If You Worry About Your Child’s Speech or Language, You Are Not Alone
Speech is a powerful part of our communication and, if it works well, is something to which we give little thought. Speech is the actual production of sounds, including the way we articulate or make speech sounds, the fluency or smoothness of our speech, and the voice quality of our speech. Speech development is gradual and takes years of practice. But even with practice, many children have problems acquiring speech skills naturally.
Language is the set of rules that give meaning to our speech. It is the way we share our knowledge, our beliefs, our emotions, and our experiences. There are rules about what words mean, how to understand sentences, how to make sentences, and how to use language in social settings. Most children learn these rules just by using language as they grow, but the rules may not make sense to your child. His behavior will demonstrate that he knows, or doesn’t know, the rules of language. For example, if your son or daughter has difficulty listening or following directions, he may not understand longer, more detailed sentence structure and won’t respond appropriately to what he hears.
Many preschool and young children have language problems, but language development continues through the teenage years, and many preteens and teens have language problems too. It’s hard to judge just how many older children and teens have language deficits because language difficulties usually can’t be heard; they are “invisible.” As a result, these kids are often neglected or underserved by speech therapy. This is unfortunate because language problems don’t go away with age; instead, they just get worse.
Download My Free Speech and Language Milestones Document Here!
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Hopefully, children acquire speech and language naturally and without any specialized instruction. In reality, many children experience serious challenges in the development of normal speech and/or language. Children may have speech or language problems related to other disorders, such as hearing loss or autism, but often the cause is unknown. It is estimated that almost 6 million children under the age of 18 have a speech or language disorder.
If you are concerned that your child or teen is struggling with a speech or language problem and seems increasingly frustrated, self-critical, or withdrawn, your concern is only natural. The important thing to remember is that there is help and hope. As a parent and as a speech therapist, I know what you are going through and I know there is a way forward.
Speech Therapy Can Help Your Child Communicate with Ease and Confidence
If you believe speech and language therapy will help your child, the first step is to have him evaluated to find out if he has a speech and/or language disorder.
Your child deserves the best evaluation available. Good diagnostics help you understand your child’s speech or language problems and lead to the best and most effective therapy. The word “diagnosis” can sound intimidating, but I know that your child is a unique individual, not a disorder. The diagnosis is important to unlock the door for the therapy to follow.
A knowledgeable, concerned parent and a skilled, experienced speech therapist make an excellent diagnostic team. Together, we will begin by conducting an evaluation in order to determine if a speech or language diagnosis is appropriate. A variety of diagnostic tools, including valuable information from you, will be used to reveal the problem and give you a thorough understanding of your child’s challenges. The evaluation and diagnosis will give me the information I need to create a therapy plan that best suits your child’s unique needs.
The key to successful speech therapy for your child is to challenge him toward his goals in a warm and caring setting that is structured and engaging. This combination allows him to develop the skills he needs and have fun at the same time. As your child progresses, we will continually review his progress and update the therapy plan to reflect his improvement.
In addition to the structured therapy activities designed especially for your child, you will have my attention throughout the evaluation and therapy process. I will schedule your appointments personally; answer your calls, emails, and texts; and see you at each therapy session. Together, we will help your child achieve his goals and reach his communication potential.
You May Believe That Your Child Could Benefit from Speech Therapy, but Still Have Questions or Concerns.
My child is smart. How can he have a speech or language problem?
Under many circumstances, children with speech and/or language problems have at least average or above average intelligence. But “smart” is revealed in many different ways, and children with intellectual disabilities and other disorders can have a speech and language problems as well.
My child sounds fine. Why would he need speech therapy?
Language problems are usually much less obvious than speech problems. Because they can’t be "heard," they are less likely to get attention and speech therapy. Language problems are just as important as speech problems and can lead to serious, life-long difficulties if they go untreated. Many children who have language problems have difficulty in school, especially difficulty learning to read or understand the language of the classroom. Difficulty understanding and using language can cause problems with making friends and other social interactions. And language deficits are often associated with emotional or behavioral problems.
I can’t afford private speech therapy right now.
It’s understandable to be concerned about the cost of speech and language therapy for your child. The good news is that most insurance plans, including Medicaid and CHIP, have speech therapy benefits. I am a participating provider in many insurance plans and I will take care of all the paperwork for you. If your child does not have health insurance benefits, fee options are available.
I encourage you to consider speech therapy an investment in your child’s development. Not being able to communicate or to communicate well can be a tremendous burden for your child. Therapy can help him reach his communication potential.
My child had therapy before and it really didn’t do any good.
There are many reasons why your child may not have benefited from an earlier therapy experience. It has been my experience that speech therapy for children and teens can improve their speech and/or language skills. If your child, the speech therapist, and the therapy plan are a good match, your child can be expected to benefit from speech therapy.
You and Your Child Don’t Have To Do It Alone
A FREE 30 minute phone or in-office consultation is available for you and your child. Call me at 940-704-4324 or contact me to schedule your FREE consultation. This will give us an opportunity to get to know each other and discuss any questions or concerns you might have.
You can also download my free Speech and Language Milestones Document above to see examples of communication skills you can expect at different ages, including for preteens and teens.
Sources available upon request.