As your child starts babbling and then producing "baby talk" you look forward to each new adorable word they say. There's not much that can thrill you more than hearing "mama" or "dada" for the first time. But what if your child is still saying “gwampa” instead of “grandpa” or “bwuda” instead of “brother” at age 5? Should you be concerned?
Possibly, and it certainly never hurts to have your child evaluated. The earlier we diagnose a speech-language disorder, the less impact it may have on your child’s academic and social well-being. Waiting to take action until your child starts school at age 5 or 6 makes it harder for them to catch up with their peers.”
By the age of three, children should be able to pronounce t, d, n and a few other consonants. A listener who knows them, like a parent or caregiver, should be able to understand 75% of what the child is saying. By the age of 5, children should be able to say most speech sounds.
One sign of speech delay is if your two-year-old doesn't have about 50 words and isn't putting 2 words together to express something.
A therapist will help your child learn to create certain sounds. Therapy sessions are usually once a week, so practicing with parents or caregivers between sessions is a must.
At young ages, therapy looks like a lot of play where we encourage children to use their sounds and words. You may be provided a list of words to practice at home. If a child has a language delay, your therapist may suggest that you imitate the child’s sounds. Sometimes a young child will think it’s a game and begin to imitate the parent’s sounds (words) too. There are countless techniques. Different kids respond to different things.
Few children make no errors when learning to speak. But if your child has more than a passing phase of baby talk, The Speech Hub can help by providing your family with effective speech therapy.
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