When to seek an SLP?

Between 18 and 24 months children should be learning lots of new words and putting 2-words together. This is usually the time when parents/caregivers begin to notice if a child is experiencing difficulty in communicating at a level consistent with children of this same age.

Usually, parents/caregivers decide to wait and see if their child will grow out of the communication delay. --This is mistake! Delays in communication observed around this time period are likely to persist. If what you are observing is an actual delay, you are missing a CRITICAL PERIOD to help your child learn to communicate effectively. It is better to get a second opinion from a certified, licensed, culturally-aware speech-language pathologist, who can rule out the presence of a communication disability.

All children are born with certain strengths and weaknesses. Some children are not equipped to naturally learn how to communicate for various reasons. The best way to overcome weaknesses is to build up the muscle or skill set to a satisfiable level of proficiency/ability, or to learn to compensate for the weakness in an easy, natural way. Speech-language therapy can help your child learn to increase his/her communication skills or compensate for certain weaknesses using strategies, techniques, or aides, typically yielding a better quality of life.

If you are noticing that your child is not using words to communicate in a manner that is consistent with other children of the same age, you should seek a screening from a speech-language therapist to rule out the possibility of a speech-language or social-communication delay. We are happy to offer you a consultation with Dr. Perry or refer you elsewhere for further assistance.

Email: vperry.speech@gmail.com for more information

Around 4 years of age, children are developing advanced forms of language that will serve as the foundation for literacy and literate-language skills. Such higher-level linguistic skills are needed to perform tasks such as the following:

• writing,

• making a logical argument,

• reading books,

• code switching between dialects or languages,

• planning,

• revising,

• performing mathematical calculations,

• demonstrating empathy, and

• other cognitive-linguistic, or

• advanced social tasks

We help children develop the essential communication skills needed to excel academically and socially. If you are noticing that your child is struggling with reading, understanding complex stories or information, struggling to get ideas across, struggling to write sentences or paragraphs, struggling to make friends, avoiding public speaking, or having issues pronouncing certain sounds, you should seek a screening from a speech-language therapist to rule out the possibility of a speech-language or social-communication delay. We are happy to offer you a consultation with Dr. Perry or refer you elsewhere for further assistance.

Email: vperry.speech@gmail.com for more information