5 signs your child might benefit from speech therapy

They have a difficult time following directions. Sometimes it can be hard to tell, especially when kids are in the toddler stage. It can look like they’re ignoring you, intentionally being defiant, or just not paying attention. But here’s a quick way to check and see if your child is struggling to follow directions- present them with novel (or unique) directions to follow. Instead of asking them to put their shoes on or to go get something from their room, ask them to do something they wouldn’t normally do. This could be anything from having their barbie jump up and down to pretending an object is an airplane. By introducing novel directions, you may be able determine whether or not your child is understanding what they are hearing. Familiar routine directions that are given daily can be memorized, and are not a reliable indicator of comprehension. Directions that are new or unfamiliar allow you to see how your child proceeds when the direction is not routine or memorized. If you notice your child having difficulty when following directions, it might be time for speech therapy

The only person who understands your child’s speech is you. By 3 years old, about 75% of your child’s speech should be understood by unfamiliar listeners. This means that the cashier at the grocery store, your friend you haven’t seen in 2 years, or a person you encounter at the park should generally be able to understand what your child is saying without any help from you. Parents know their kids best, and oftentimes aren’t aware of how much translating they are doing in their heads when communicating with their child. By 4 we expect a child to be intelligible to everyone nearly all of the time. If you find that you or others are often asking your child to repeat themselves, it might be time for speech therapy.

Your child isn’t engaging in social communication. Social communication includes tone moderation, eye contact, use of body language and gestures, seeking out interactions with others, playing with peers, etc. Difficulties with social communication could mean a lot of things. Sometimes it's an indication of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sometimes it’s because of diminished confidence due to difficulties with communication. Whatever the reason, difficulties with social communication might mean it’s time for speech therapy

Increase in frustration when attempting to communicate. Your child’s speech is clear and they appear to comprehend everything you say to them, but when it’s their turn to talk, they struggle to find the words they want and end up frustrated, crying, or melting down. Do they really need speech therapy? Yes! Some kiddos present only with expressive language delay/disorder. This means that their comprehension is completely intact, but their ability to communicate verbally is not where you’d expect at their age. If you see signs such as frequent pausing, use of sentence fillers (ummm, uhhh, errrr), starting sentences over, etc., your child may be struggling to put words together to form sentences. This leads to increased frustration as your child knows what they want to say but their brains just won’t organize it for them to produce. If your child appears frustrated when trying to communicate, it might be time for speech therapy.

Late talking. Generally we want to see a child’s first word around the year mark, but if by 18 months they haven’t used their first word, we would consider them a late talker. Another milestone to be aware of is the 2x2 milestone. This refers to a child combining 2 words together by 2 years old. Also by 2 years old, we expect around 50 words to be used correctly in your child’s vocabulary. If you notice your child has not started talking, they aren’t combining words when expected, or they have a limited vocabulary, it might be time for speech therapy.