Does Your Child Need Speech Therapy?
Understanding Children's Normal Speech Development
Dec 19, 2008
Robert Maltby, a speech-language pathologist at Winchelsea Speech and Language Services in Nanaimo, B.C. said in an October 2005 interview that an increased focus on literacy in the media has drawn more attention to speech and language development, but speech development problems can be caused by several different factors.
Talk to Me
One of the significant causes of speech and language problems is hearing impairment, according to the BC Health Guide's web site. Babies need to hear well for normal speech to develop, since they imitate the sounds their parents make. Early detection of hearing and speech problems, however, can help to correct them.
As for sippy cups, “anything you put in your mouth can interfere with your speech,” Maltby explained. “Sippy cups won’t cause speech problems directly. But the movement of your tongue to sip is the same muscle movement needed for sucking on a bottle. More mature patterns are needed to develop more mature sounds in speech. So sucking on bottles or sippy cups for extended periods may inhibit the development of the necessary muscle groups needed for mature speech.”
Since speech and language development problems often run in families, the way parents speak will influence their children as well. However, some speech problems with young children are not usually a cause for concern.
“It’s normal for kids under age five to stutter,” says Maltby. “However, if a child is showing danger signs, such as struggling reactions, they should see a speech therapist.”
What Is Normal Speech?
Normal nonfluency is the term used to describe the common tendency in children to have difficulty producing smooth, fluent speech. They simply do not have the language skills yet to express their thoughts, skills which most children will develop over time. However, parents may worry that their child is not developing as quickly as other children, and this can cause anxiety in the child, which can lead to the more serious problem of stuttering.
So what is normal speech development? First, avoid comparing your child to other children. Here are some general milestones for speech development from The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:
Normal Speech Development (Aged 2-3 Years)
- Uses two to three word sentences to talk about and ask for things.
- Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time.
- Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them.
Normal Speech Development (Aged 3-4 Years)
- Talks about activities at school.
- People outside the family usually understand child's speech.
- Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words.
Normal Speech Development (Aged 4-5 Years)
- Tells stories that stick to a topic.
- Communicates easily with other children and adults.
- Says most sounds correctly except a few like l,s,r,v,z,ch,sh,th.
- Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family.
Talk the Talk
One of the best things parents can do to encourage better speech and language development is to read and talk to your kids. Use clear and straightforward language and use the same words and tone you would use when speaking to adults.
Speech and language problems do not necessarily indicate a lack of intelligence, so be careful not to make assumptions about your child’s abilities. The more positive and interactive you are in speaking with your children, the more confident they will be in using speech and language. Now that’s something to talk about.
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