Frequently Asked Questions
Will my child grow out of a speech and language problem?
Do I need a doctor’s referral for a speech and language assessment?
My grandson seems to be having a hard time with some of his sounds. How can I help
him?
How can I help my baby develop good communication skills?
How are strong speech and language skills important for Kindergarten readiness?
What are some ideas for CONVERSATIONS with my child?
What are some games I can play with my child for good speech and language carryover?
If we speak more than one language at home, will it cause our child to have a speech or
language problem?
Should I worry if my child stutters?
Will my child grow out of a speech and language problem?
Some children do grow out of mild speech and language lags or problems. But many do
not. It is better not to wait and see. The sooner a problem is discovered, the sooner we
can begin to help. Even if a child eventually begins to talk and make full sentences, there
is a price to pay for late speech and language development. Trouble with speaking can
mean problems in all areas of language development. This can mean trouble in school
with listening, reading, spelling and even math. Contact your local “Talk With Me”
program or Speech-Language Pathology Department if you have concerns about your
child’s speech and language development.
Do I need a doctor’s referral for a speech and language assessment?
No. You do not need a doctor’s referral to be seen by a Speech-Language Pathologist. If
you think your child is having speech and/or language problems, it is important to get
help as soon as possible. Contact your local “Talk With Me” Speech-Language
Pathology Department. Early therapy can improve your child’s readiness for school,
improve your child’s self-esteem and confidence, prevent problems from getting worse,
decrease frustration and reduce behaviour problems.
My grandson seems to be having a hard time with some of his sounds. How can I
help him?
Children are not expected to have all of their speech sounds when they are born. In fact,
we only expect to understand about half of what a typically developing two year old says.
There are some things that we can do to help all children develop their sounds.
1) Make certain the child is looking at your face when you speak. This will give them
visual cues to help form the sounds correctly.
2) Repeat words back to the child that they have said incorrectly. Do not expect them to
repeat after you. This gives the child a chance to hear the proper way of saying the
word themselves.
3) Say the words that the child is having difficulty with in a slightly slower and more
exaggerated way. This will help the child focus on the words.
4)Finally, remember to listen to what your child is saying and not just how they are
saying it. If you focus only on the how, you may miss out on some very important
conversations.
How can I help my baby develop good communication skills?
Babies are hard wired to learn language from the time they are born. It is our job to
provide them with the proper input. By talking with your baby and telling him about the
things that he experiences everyday you are providing him with the building blocks for
language. When speaking with your baby use a slightly higher pitched voice than normal
and exaggerate some sounds. We call this ‘parentese’ and research shows us that babies
respond best to this. Respond to your baby’s vocalizations. This shows him that his
vocalizations have meaning and will encourage him to vocalize more. Make certain you
have lots of face-to-face interactions with your baby. This helps him focus on your face
and gives him cues about how to form sounds.
How are strong speech and language skills important for Kindergarten readiness?
To learn to read, children need to have a solid knowledge of the letter names of the
alphabet AND the sounds that each of the letters make. Children with speech delays
(don’t say all or most of their speech sounds correctly) can be at risk for having difficulty
learning each letter’s corresponding sound. This can make certain pre-reading skills
difficult, such as breaking words down into their individual sounds (for example, s-a-t) or
blending sounds into words—this seems to be the opposite-blending vs sounding out
words).
What are some ideas for CONVERSATIONS with my child?
From the moment your child gets out of bed until he lays his head on the pillow at night,
there are rich conversations to be had. Ask your child what will happen at school that
day. Have him plan what outing you will have together. Make homemade cookies and
talk about the recipe and the ingredients. Discuss the weather and the seasonal changes
while taking a walk to the park. Talk over dinner about what he did in school that day.
Talk about body parts while he’s taking a bath or getting dressed. Read stories and
discuss at bedtime. Don’t forget that each time you are with your child you have the
opportunity to model good speech and language, and remind him to use his good speech
and language skills.
What are some games I can play with my child for good speech and language
carryover?
Any board game that involves descriptions, such as CLUETM or GUESS WHOTM are
great for developing vocabulary skills. Just about any card or board game is good for
speech sound carryover: such as “go fish”. Just remind your child to use his speech
sound technique when he talks during the game. This is a great way to challenge his
brain in two ways – to focus on his speech sound WHILE focusing on beating you at the
game!
If we speak more than one language at home, will it cause our child to have a speech
or language problem?
No. Speaking more than one language does not cause a speech and language delay. We
expect children to say their first words (and meet all speech and language milestones)
around the same age no matter how many languages are spoken in the home. In fact,
there are many advantages to speaking more than one language. If you have concerns
about your child’s speech and/or language development contact your local “Talk With
Me” program.
Should I worry if my child stutters?
Between the ages of 2 and 5 years of age, it can be normal for children to experience
periods of bumpy speech, (or disfluency) particularly when they are tired, excited or
upset. These periods are often characterized by word or phrase repetitions and may come
and go. Most children will out grow this. To help your child through these periods of
stuttering:
 Pay attention to what your child has to say and not to ‘how’ he says it.
 Listen to your child without interrupting him. Let him have time to finish his
sentences on his own – even if it takes a long time.
 Speak slowly. If you talk slowly, it will naturally help your child slow down his
speech more effectively than telling him to slow down.
 Avoid giving your child ‘tricks’ such as “take a deep breath,” “take your time,” “relax
and try again.”
Some children will not grow out of their bumpy speech as they are stuttering. In this
case, it is important to begin therapy as soon as possible. Signs that you should take your
child to a Speech-Language Pathologist include:
 Your child’s repetitions are parts of words or single sounds.
 Your child shows signs of tension or struggle while speaking.
 Your child’s speech seems to get blocked completely – they make an effort to speak
but no sound comes out.
 There is family history of stuttering.
 After 6 months of your child starting, there is not improvement or it is getting worse. .
If you are concerned about your child’s stuttering, contact your local “Talk With Me”
program and Speech-Language Pathology department as early as possible. A doctor’s
referral is not necessary.