Does your child have delayed speech? Yes?
Take a deep breath. It will be OK! You are here which is a great start.
Before we get to delayed speech and what you can do at home, let's do a quick review of speech development.
People tend to use speech and language interchangeably but they are quite different!
This is a very SIMPLE explanation for a complicated topic; however, it is important to know whether your child has difficulty with speech or language. For more information, you can check out our speech and language development overview.
On this page, we are going to discuss speech.
If you are asking yourself this question, the best advice I can give is to seek out an speech evaluation. Why not? There is no harm and it is ALWAYS better to know than not to know!
Below are some options for finding a speech-language pathologist in your area:
An evaluation is critical because if your child does have delayed speech, the speech therapist must know the root cause and gather data in order methodically choose which sounds to work on first, which therapy techniques to use, and to create a functional/meaningful home program.
Please read more about evaluations of speech disorders here.
If you are still unsure IF your child even needs speech therapy, then head over to our free speech and language screening tool. You will find the answers you need there.
If your child is already in therapy for delayed speech, then it is your job to practice his/her target sounds at home daily!!!! This may sound like a lot but it can be simple. These are my favorite tips that I give all parents:
How To Practice At Home
Again, check with your speech therapist for tips! Usually, speech practices follow this order:
For most of my students (over the age of 5), I suggest lots of drill practice at first. This is necessary to learn how to say a sound. For younger children, I suggest a more naturalistic approach.
Next, I have parents jump down to practicing target sounds which their child has already mastered in therapy during games and/or conversation.
It is proven that a child needs to practice their new sounds across different environments before it will become automatic...aka no more speech therapy!
If you would like more information on specific articulation therapy techniques, please click here.
To accommodate all my reader's needs, I have 3 levels of materials,
We have free resources which include:
Simply click here and then explore the sounds listed on the page. Enjoy!
Articulation Materials & Guide
This amazing resource is for both parents and professionals. It contains 400 in-depth pages needed for teaching and home practice.
This eBook includes:
Here at Speech Therapy Talk, we have a membership program that is designed specifically for children who have delayed speech. It reviews how to say each sound, how to teach your child each sound, and then walks you through each practice stage.
The MAJOR benefits to the membership program include:
For more information, click Speech Therapy Talk Membership!
Bridget is an ASHA certified, practicing speech-language pathologist. She is passionate about providing parents with information on child speech and language development as well as provide functional, easy activities to do at home! Parents have the power to make a real difference. Follow Bridget at Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!