Speech Therapy for Toddlers

Speech therapy for toddlers is a therapy for speech problems not known to many. Toddlers most often have speech problems and these are left untreated most of the time. As a result, this may have a negative impact in his interpersonal life when he grows up.

Speech therapy for toddlers aims to develop or regain effective communication skills caused by articulation (physical defects in palates, tongue, jaws or teeth), voice (laryngeal problems) or fluency disorders (talking too fast or too slow).

One reason speech problems in toddlers are diagnosed late is because parents most often ignore the fact that something is wrong with their child, even though they notice it firsthand. When they notice their tot isn’t as talk active as other toddlers do, they would resort to thinking he’s just lagging behind and he’d catch up soon when he grows older. Nothing to be alarmed as there are really kids who are late learners.

Yes, toddlers find it hard to pronounce words correctly and make their sentences sensible. We often hear them substitute ‘f’ for ‘p’, and ‘r for w’, and these are common until age 6. But what we must watch for is if the toddler’s speech improves over time.

Therefore, parents must know normal signs that language and speech development is within the normal range or schedule or at least close to it.

We must immediately consult a physician for further assessment if: the toddler doesn’t react normally, or is indifferent, to sounds; doesn’t use gestures like waving bye-bye by 12 months; prefers gesture to communicate by 18 months; and has trouble imitating sounds by 18 months as these may be signs of hearing loss.

Toddlers over two years old must be evaluated if: they have unusual tone of voice; can’t follow simple directions; only imitates speech or actions and doesn’t produce words spontaneously; is more difficult to understand than expected for his age; isn’t talking or talking very little; talks using mostly vowels or mispronounces them; uses a word once and doesn’t use it again frequently or uses a word rather than sentences when speaking. There must be also an increase in the child’s vocabulary, and improvement in comprehension.

Speech pathologists assess the toddlers’ receptive and expressive language, sound development, clarity of speech and their oral-motor status. Then, speech therapy is scheduled according the child’s needs.

Speech therapy for toddlers usually lasts 30 minutes per session. Speech therapists usually spend 15 minutes playing with the kid while working out proper use of prepositions, eliciting a correct response, having the kid imitate them, blowing bubbles which strengthen lips and improve coordination, and practicing lip sounds and initial and final consonants coordination.

Parents can also do their share in improving the toddler’s speech. Apart from the speech therapy their speech pathologists provide, toddlers must also be stimulated at home for better improvement.

Therefore, parents must observe therapy sessions and learn to participate in the process. The speech therapist will teach you how the speech and language therapy can be reinforced.

Speech Therapy for Toddlers

Among these are reading stories to them, talking to them in everything that you do such as pointing out objects at the house, telling them what those things are for, encouraging speaking and imitating sounds. Singing would also be a lot of help to have them stimulated.

The best approach with speech and language delays is recognizing them early and providing treatment as soon as possible. In time, your toddler will communicate a lot better and overcome language delays.

The key to a very effective outcome of speech therapy for toddlers is incorporating therapy with play. This way, toddlers wouldn’t find the activity burdensome but rather fun and interesting, encouraging cooperation and stimulation further.

Lastly, we can’t deny the therapeutic impact of parental involvement in a child’s care, making this as most important in speech therapy for toddlers.