Child Development Practice In Peoria
Pediatric speech therapy is most beneficial if your child babbles, stutters, or struggles with sensory processing or putting complete sentences together.
Children with autism, down syndrome, cleft-palate, sensory dysfunction, verbal apraxia, and head injury are most prone to speech and language disorders. The best way to get clarity about your child's development is to check in with professionals for a screening.
Setup a Developmental Screening
We at Mueller Pediatric have made it our mission to provide top-notch speech and language therapy and speech pathology services. We've long been the trusted practice for pediatric speech therapy in Peoria, having humbly served the area for some time now.
What is Pediatric Speech Therapy?
Pediatric speech therapy, as its name may suggest, is verbal communication training for children. When it comes to pediatric speech therapy, it is generally referring to young toddlers, as compared to speech therapy for children all the way up to teenage years. Both are a similar process but are personalized based on the developmental stage of the child.
Additionally, a child should attend speech therapy at the first signs of speech problems. These problems may include stuttering, difficulty responding to questions or general speech abnormalities. Though these conditions seem common, they might signify a larger, more serious issue at hand. Having regular speech problems can be a sign that your child may have autism, sensory dysfunction, Down's syndrome or even a head injury. It is important to take your young child into pediatric speech therapy to treat the issue earlier rather than later.
Pediatric Speech Therapy Tips
It's important to know that you are not alone throughout the speech therapy process, and we also want to reassure parents who may feel helpless or frustrated. The truth is, there are many ways you can help your child as they undergo speech and language therapy. Whether your child struggles with a speech impediment or articulation delay, there is a number of exercises that will help your child grow more confident in his speech abilities.
We encourage you to sit down and perform the following exercises with your child. Keep in mind that even though these can be used to help in everyday life, seeing a specialist on a weekly or bi-weekly basis can dramatically increase your child’s ability to communicate. The experts understand the complexities of each condition and will treat your child in the areas that will be of most benefit.
Practice at Home - Self-Help Strategies
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Focus on troublesome words like "ship," "apple," etc. Having your child pronounce these words will help you narrow down which types of sounds may of most difficulty for your child to say.
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Engage in conversation with your child during everyday tasks. You want to help your child feel more comfortable talking in everyday situations, so try and create conversation while getting dressed, feeding, etc. Not only will this just help your child become more comfortable, but it will also help you to make note of common mistakes in their speech.
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You can also ask your child to give directions during a car ride or instructions on how to complete a task. This may be best for older children, but when tailored to the level of your child, it can be beneficial for kids of all age.
Overall, the best practice is setting your child up for success and performing these speech tips whenever possible. This will help support the work that is being done in formal pediatric speech therapy settings. Encourage your child, but don't forget to encourage yourself.
We also offer therapy groups throughout the year where you can sign up as a family and practice the skills mentioned above with the help of MPT staff. See below for group times that might work for you!
Speech Therapy Near Me
As one of the oldest cities in Illinois with many families and many children, there is a constant need for pediatric speech therapy in Peoria IL. With the introduction of large corporations such as Pioneer Railcorp, Maui Jim, Caterpillar and Archer Daniels Midland, Peoria, IL is home to many families. With many families, comes many children in Peoria. We at Mueller Pediatric Therapy want to be the place you trust for your child’s speech therapy.
