- According to a study by researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, three risk factors for speech delays are a family history of developmental communication impairment, having a mother who did not graduate from high school, and being a boy with both of these risk factors, as boys are twice as likely as girls in that situation to have speech delays, the research found.
- Important to knowing if your child has a speech delay is understanding the communication development of other children his age. According to a child development guide for parents on the University of Michigan Health System website, by the time a child is between 3 and 4, he should be able to verbalize a story, say sentences of between four and five words, have a vocabulary of about 1000 words, and be able to recite several nursery rhymes. The following year, the guide says, between ages 4 and 5, the same child should be able to use the past tense in speech, have a vocabulary of 1500 words and verbalize questions.
- First screening for a speech delay in a preschool-age child may come from a primary care doctor or the director of her preschool program. This person may ask questions about family history and home life, consider risk factors, or give a simple assessment that tests your child's speech skills against those of other children her age. If warranted, they'll make a referral to a specialist for speech therapy.
- Speech therapists who treat preschool children consider speech issues such as articulation, resonance or voice disorders, language disorders and problems with fluency such as stuttering. They will determine whether speech delays result from other problems -- such as impaired hearing, problems with the palate or muscles in the face, or autism -- and then design a treatment plan specifically for your child.
previous post
next post