When children start acquiring their first words, it is usually an exciting experience. This is because they can express their wants and needs with a bit of clarity making communication much easier for their parents. If your child seems to have speech issues while developing, you need not worry because there is a solution to the problem. Growth and development of speech varies among different children. Some children may talk at 1 year of age while others may start talking a few months later. All in all, it is important to monitor speech development in your child as he/she grows. Here are signs that indicate your child needs speech therapy.
Number of words uttered
As your child grows, you need to monitor the number of words that they use when communicating. If your child is using less than 50 words to communicate with you at the age of 2 years, he/she is likely to benefit a lot from speech therapy in Connecticut. The therapy entails evaluation of your child’s speech development to determine the need for therapeutic assistance. However, if your child is using more than 50 words at the age of 2, there is no need to panic. The more you talk to them and teach them different words, the more they become better at communicating with different people.
Understanding words
Research shows that when children reach the age of 2, most of them can be able to understand at least 300 words. As a parent, you can simply monitor the behavior of your child by giving simple and clear directions. These involves simple things such as, “Get your coat, get your school-bag” and the like. If your child has problems understanding many words, you need to take him to a therapist for evaluation. Therapists can offer simple guidelines that can help improve your child’s understanding skills.
Word combination
When your child acquires his/her 50 words or so, he/she needs to combine words appropriately while communicating with you. The child may be making requests, asking questions or making a comment. For instance, when your child wants more pudding, he/she should utter words like “more pudding, add more” and so forth. Sometimes the child may difficulties combining words necessitating the need for therapeutic assistance. Although this rarely happens in children, you need to their monitor speech development.
Frustration
In some cases, a child may be delayed when he/she wants to express something out. Most of these children often resort to other means of communication such as throwing tantrums and hitting others to bring out their frustration. Therefore, if your child has any of these habits, it is high time to visit a therapist for assistance.
Playing and interaction
When a child has difficulties in speech development, he/she may also have problems with playing skills. Difficulties in playing skills affect the way your child interacts with other children around him. Therefore, it is essential to keep an eye on the playing skills of your child to see if therapeutic consultation may be necessary.
