What are the signs your child needs speech therapy in the Philippines?
- Not babbling at 4 to 7 months old
- Not making gestures
- Issues with verbal requests
- Having trouble understanding directions
- Not interacting socially
- Trouble speaking in sentences
- Speech sound disorders
- Stuttering
Children accomplish numerous milestones during their first couple of months such as crawling and walking. The same milestones exist for speech. But what if you are worried your child might have a speech disorder? Maybe your child does not talk as much or maybe there are times you don’t understand what your child is saying. If you notice these, you might want to know more about the different signs your child needs speech therapy in the Philippines.
Parents need to educate themselves about proper speech development. Children should say their first word at 6 to 14 months and they should know about 20 words at 18 months. A speech disorder may make it difficult for your child to make certain sounds and pronounce different words — making it hard to communicate.
Speech therapy at a Las Pinas medical center is a promising treatment option. However, early detection is needed to achieve the maximum benefit. Here are some signs that could indicate your child needs speech therapy. Read on.
Not Babbling At 4 To 7 Months Old
Like any other parent, you most likely want to know how soon your baby will communicate. Your child will learn to talk in stages, beginning with cooing and gurgling sounds followed by a set of strung-together vowel-consonant sounds like “a-ga” or “a-da”. These are known as baby babbles.
Between 4 to 7 months, your child should be babbling words or making “nonsense” noises that can’t be understood. Babbling a form of communication your baby uses before they gain the ability to form words. Babies will attempt to mimic the sounds that they hear, especially the ones they hear from their parents.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a baby who does not babble could show signs of a speech disorder and should seek the help of a professional speech therapist.
Not Making Gestures
Find out if your child does not express himself or herself by making gestures such as pointing and waving or perhaps makes very few gestures by ages 7 to 12 months. This could be another sign of needing speech therapy.
Children should start to communicate their needs from time to time. Developing the ability to express themselves is an important development milestone in a child’s life. First, this will start with coos, screams, and cries. Then, this will be followed by gestures.
Issues With Verbal Requests
Children between 12 and 24 months old should be able to understand simple verbal requests. If your child does not seem to understand what you say or does not follow instructions, he or she may need speech therapy.
For example, your child does not turn around when you say “Look. The toy is behind you!” or when you call his or her name.
Having Trouble Understanding Directions
Toddlers should also understand prepositions of a place like under, in, or behind. Your child should be able to point objects when asked “where” questions such as “Where is the ball?”
Not Interacting Socially
By the age of 1 to 2 years, your child should be able to acknowledge gestures and understand about 1,000 vocabulary words.
If your child does not smile or acknowledge when someone is speaking or playing with him or her, you should consider visiting a speech therapist. A child talking infrequently or only saying a few words can mean having trouble using language socially.
Trouble Speaking In Sentences
Between the ages of 1 to 2 years, your child should also be combining at least 2 words to make simple phrases like “milk please” or “mommy up”. By 3 years old, your child should be combining 4 to 5 words to form sentences.
If your child is struggling to speak in sentences, it could be an indicator to get screened for speech disorder and seek speech therapy.
By age 3, kids should be able to pronounce ‘t,’ ‘d,’ ‘n,’ and a few other consonants. A familiar listener, such as a parent or caregiver, should be able to understand 75% of what the child says. By age 5, children should be able to say most speech sounds.
Speech Sound Disorders
Children aged 1 to 2 years old with speech sound disorders may have problems saying words with P, B, M, H, and W. Moreover, children aged 2 to 3 years old with speech sound disorders may have issues pronouncing words with K, G, F, T, and D.
Consider speech therapy as well if your child produces speech that is generally unclear, even to familiar people from 2 to 3 years old.
Stuttering
Stuttering can be a clear indicator that your child needs speech therapy. Children who stutter may repeat whole words (He-he-he- went home) or the first syllable of a word (j-j-j-jump).
While speaking, it is normal for young children to occasionally repeat words. However, if you notice your child is doing this often, it may be best to seek speech therapy.
Key Takeaway
In this article, we rounded up some of the telltale signs your child needs speech therapy in the Philippines. Be sure to monitor your child’s speech development. If there is little to no improvement every month, consider visiting a speech pathologist from Perpetual Health Medical Center – Las Pinas.
We offer comprehensive services designed to detect, assess, treat and manage various brain- and nerve-related disorders, including speech disorders. Click here to contact us today or visit us at Alabang-Zapote Rd., Pamplona III Las Pinas City, Philippines 1740.