Wait and See? - Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Roxboro Speech Pathologists
Often, when we notice that our child isn’t using as many words as the other children in our play circle, our instinct may compel us to seek a professional opinion. Often parents are given the following advice:
“He’ll be fine. Boys talk later than girls anyway.”
“My daughter didn’t say a word until she was two and she’s the best reader in her class!”
“Don’t worry about it… all kids learn at their own pace.”
While these stories may be true from some children, it is difficult for experts to predict if children will grow out of it.
Children who don’t speak before the age of two are considered late talkers. These children typically have a good understanding of language, develop age appropriate play, motor, thinking and social skills, but have a limited spoken vocabulary for their age.
A speech or language disorder can be an indicator of a larger problem from motor skill impairment, such as Childhood Apraxia of Speech, to a cognitive delay.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a speech disorder in which children have difficulty planning and producing the precise, highly refined and specific series of movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, and palate that are necessary to produce clear, intelligible speech.
According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, children with communication disorders often do not perform well at grade level. They may struggle with reading, have difficulty understanding and expressing language, misunderstand social cues, and have difficulty taking tests.
Speech therapy can improve the child’s ability to speak clearly to express thoughts, ideas and feelings. Speech Therapy can improve literacy by reinforcing phonological awareness and language production, thus helping the child connect a sound and meaning to printed symbols.
But early intervention is key. If you suspect that your child isn’t reaching development milestones, call 919-595-2000 to schedule an evaluation with one of our speech-language pathologists.
Pediatric Services Available
At NCEENT, we take care of each child as if they were our own. By offering a wide range of pediatric services, including pediatric speech therapy, our providers treat a vast number of common disorders.
Visit North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat for Cary Speech Pathology, Chapel Hill Speech Pathology, Durham Speech Pathology, and Roxboro Speech Pathology!
