It is common for toddlers and children to struggle with speech early on in their life. Luckily, there is therapy specially designed to help treat children with speech problems. Read more below about how our speech pathologists and certified professionals can help!
What is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy is basically teaching, instructing and training kids to speak more clearly by resolving common physical challenges to articulation. Depending on your child’s age, you may need to visit pediatric speech therapy for more specialized training.
Speech therapy can be used to improve communication skills overall, thus increasing the quality of life for long-term success. Below are a few conditions you should consider before taking your child to speech therapy.
How to Know if a Child Needs Speech Therapy
When a parent or caretaker is looking to help their child's communication skills, they wonder whether or not their child needs therapy. Of course, no parent wants to see their child struggle with basic aspects of life such as speech. Sometimes a little assistance from a certified professional goes a long way. Many children naturally struggle with speech and communication overall, but there are some symptoms to look out for.
At first, it is helpful to see for yourself if there might be an underlying problem that can be treated locally. Below are a few common symptoms that are often signs of speech problems in children:
- The child mispronounces common words regularly even as he/she gets older (usually by 3 years old, they should be understandable)
- Using a very limited vocabulary
- Mixing up common sentence structures saying "me" instead of "I"
- Having a lisp or other condition related to a child's ability to produce sounds correctly
It may not always be clear whether a child is going through normal communication problems or if they need speech therapy. If in doubt, contact a specialist and speak with someone from our office today. Otherwise,
Common Disorders
- Articulation Disorders: Articulation disorders refer to the child having difficulty producing sounds and words correctly. Often times, others can’t understand what they are saying correctly. This causes communication problems which can lead to further problems if they are not treated with speech therapy for children.
- Fluency Disorders: Fluency disorders in kids most often include stuttering which is a common issue in young kids. Because it is so common, children can be treated with speech therapy to improve the disorder.
- Voice or resonance disorders: This refers to general problems with children’s speech. Kids can have problems with pitch, volume, and other factors which can make it difficult for others to understand them. In addition, it can cause pain for children with this condition which should be treated immediately.
Mueller Pediatric offers a number of different services, one of them being speech therapy for children in Peoria IL. It is our passion to see kids grow and develop as they overcome struggles they may have with speech.
Peoria, IL is a fantastic city! It is home to many families with children who may be in need of speech therapy services. Understanding the background that children come from is an important aspect of getting to know the child and their communication ability.
