When to consider Speech Therapy?
For Children if you have:
For Children if you have:
- delayed speech and language skills
- impaired attention and memory with impulsivity
- limited vocabulary
- difficulty expressing basic needs and wants
- difficulty saying greetings (i.e., “hi” and “bye”) on own
- difficulty counting to 10
- limited eye contact
- limited social behaviors (i.e., appropriate comments, turn taking, staying on topic)
For Adults if you have:
For Adults if you have:
- poor organization, with limited problem solving and judgment
- limited awareness of extent of difficulties; exhibits socially inappropriate behavior
- difficulty with concepts of time and money
- difficulty self-disciplining and self-monitoring to follow rules
- difficulty changing routine or schedule; difficulty learning new rules
- difficulty selecting appropriate words and remembering names
- limited memory and/or knowledge of current events and/or personal history
- missing or misunderstanding humor
- difficulty understanding nonverbal communication (i.e., facial expressions and/or body language)
- difficulty understanding abstract information
Difficulty managing home or maintaining a job or business due to:
- difficulty planning and completing necessary daily activities
- difficulty following directions
- difficulty comprehending or applying abstract written information
- difficulty analyzing personal and/or business problems, identifying and applying solutions
- difficulty assessing own strengths and weaknesses, developing effective plans to improve weaknesses
- difficulty managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously
- difficulty managing emotions (especially anxiety, frustration, or anger) related to performance difficulties
- difficulty making, following, and modifying plans as needed
Does Your Child Need Speech Therapy?
Does Your Child Need Speech Therapy?
Potential Consequences/Impact of Speech Impairment Can Include:
- Difficulty expressing need or routine information intelligibly
- Difficulty communicating intelligibly in order to function at level of independence expected for age
- Difficulty expressing feelings intelligibly; may be at risk for frustration or depression
- Difficulty engaging successfully in social and/or classroom situations that require intelligible speech
- Difficulty achieving adequate intelligible speech to reach educational potential
Behaviors that should trigger an Speech Therapy referral
Behaviors that should trigger an Speech Therapy referral
By age 3 years cannot:
- be understood by family and/or caregivers
- correctly produce vowels and such sounds as p, b, m, w in words
- repeat when not understood without becoming frustrated
By age 4 years cannot:
- be understood by individuals with whom they do not associate regularly
- be understood by family and/or caregivers
- correctly produce t, d, k, g, f
- be asked to repeat without becoming sensitive
By age 5 years cannot:
- be understood in all situations by most listeners
- correctly produce most speech sounds
- be asked to repeat without exhibiting frustration
- Disturbance in neuromuscular control causes difficulty learning to produce sounds appropriately speech is usually slurred; difficulty controlling respiration for speech; abnormal loudness, rhythm, or vocal quality exhibits difficulty learning sounds to form words; may sound nasal, strangled and/or breathy
- exhibits frustration and/or avoidance of speech due to extreme difficulty forming sounds or difficulty being understood