Hello – It’s Darcy!
What an exciting adventure you are on! A crazy mix of nerves, happiness, amazement, frustration, and feelings of “what the heck am I doing?!” I am thrilled to be part of the Ma Bohne team, and look forward to answering your questions and starting some great dialogues about your child’s development. Below are some commonly asked questions about speech therapy- feel free to ask your own and I will be happy to respond to them in my next post.
Questions 1 & 2 : Why is speech therapy important? And why is early intervention important?
These questions are best answered together…
Speech therapy services can target speech (how clear a child sounds when he talks), language (what the child says, the words they use to communicate, and what they understand of what is being said to them), and feeding (chewing, sucking, swallowing).
Speech therapy focuses on your child’s ability to interact and communicate with the world around him. A child who struggles to communicate effectively may have trouble relating to their peers, succeeding in school, and may present with behavioral challenges because of frustration with their inability to communicate their wants and needs. The goal of speech therapy is to maximize the child’s current abilities and establish a consistent means of communication while simultaneously promoting the development of new, age appropriate skills. These communication skills are incredibly important during the early years of a child’s development, as this is the time when they are learning the most about the world and developing their understanding of basic principles such as object permanence, cause and effect, and comparatives (big vs small). The first eight years of a child’s life is considered the “critical period” for language, meaning that the foundation for language and literacy skills are best acquired during these formative years.
Many speech therapists are also trained to work with feeding disorders, working with children who have chewing and swallowing difficulties, as well as children who are “fussy” eaters. We all know eating is important, and especially for little ones as development is dramatically effected by their nutrition. If left untreated, feeding issues can lead to nutritional deficiencies and failure to thrive.
Speech therapy usually involves a lot of play, games, and singing, which seems very simple and actually is. But each activity is carefully selected to elicit a specific behavior over and over again in order to help a child develop a specific skills. Practice makes perfect, and this is certainly true for the brain during childhood development! Think about a difficult skill, such as skiing or tap dancing. Children seem to pick up these skills with incredible ease and fly down the mountains or through routines without a second thought. As an adult, it is much more difficult to acquire these skills and it can take us months to learn what a child can in days. Children’s brains are amazingly plastic, and no better time to maximize their abilities than during this early period of rampant brain development!
Question 3: What are some signs to look for to determine if my child needs Speech Therapy?
A good rule is that if you think there might be a problem, find a speech therapist and get an evaluation! As a parent or caregiver, you know your child best and if you think there might be something not quite right, it is always a good idea to have it assessed by a professional. Each child is different, and develops at their own rate, but sometimes a small delay early on can be indicative of more problems to come. Other times, it is just that- a small delay that will resolve over time. Either way, it is always a good idea to be proactive about your child’s development. There are many developmental signs to look for to determine if a child would benefit from speech therapy. Do some research on typical developmental milestones specifically for speech and language. The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA.org) has great resources detailing communication behavior to anticipate at each stage of your child’s development.
Some examples of “warning signs” follow (note this is NOT a comprehensive list but rather a few suggestions to get you thinking):
In very young children (infants/toddlers): do they interact and engage with others around them? Do they “play” with their voice, using variety of sounds when they babble? Do they play with their face, chew on toys, blow “raspberries”? Do they use gestures, such as pointing or waving? These behaviors are part of typical development and if they are absent it could indicate a delay.
In toddlers: are they using words to communicate their needs, or primarily grunts, pointing, or yelling? Are they putting together increasingly greater number of words into phrases (one word requests or learning to use two-three word phrases)? Does their vocabulary contain a variety of word types (e.g., nouns, action words, descriptive words) or only one type of word? Are they understood by people outside the family? Do they get angry when people don’t understand them? Do they have a hard time following directions, or seem “lost” when you give them an instruction? These and other signs could indicate a delay that would warrant further assessment.
Question 4: What are some factors that would impact the length of time a child needs speech therapy?
There are SO many factors that go into determining the duration of speech therapy services! Obviously each child and family are different, and their individual needs and goals are dramatically different. Modifying behavior and habits takes time (for all of us!), and it often takes months or even years of steady effort to yield permanent changes. Some children have developmental delays, meaning they can acquire the same skills as their peers but will do so at a much slower rate and with more help needed along the way. These children will require more assistance over the course of their childhood and academic career, and therefore will benefit from ongoing assistance over several years. Other children may have specific motor (muscle) or neurological issues that impact their speech or feeding development, and the muscle pattern needs to be corrected before a family will see the improvement they seek. This is another situation where long-term therapy will likely be needed. Other children may just need a “boost” to help them get to where they should be for their age, in either language development, articulation, or feeding skills. This may take a few months or even a year. Remember- a child’s brain is constantly changing and growing, and therapy aims to influence this development resulting in change in language, muscle movement, and thinking. This takes time!
Question 5: How long does a speech therapy session last?
The length of a speech therapy session depends on the individual needs of the child and the family. Typically a session ranges from 30 minutes to an hour. However there are many factors that go into determining the length of the session. Many children cannot handle a 60 minute session, especially children who are very young or those with sensory issues. Sometimes a shorter session is better for these children, as the session can end before they get very frustrated and therefore maximize the positive impact of the therapy. On the other hand, good speech therapy will include training with the family and caregivers to facilitate consistent carryover of goals after the speech therapy session has ended. This may necessitate a longer session (one hour) in order to work with the child and then have time with the family. Regardless of how long the sessions last, the child will need to practice the exercises, strategies, or techniques in their everyday, real-world activities in order for positive changes to truly be made. This requires an awareness and understanding on the part of the parents or caregivers as to what the child’s immediate goals are and the best way to facilitate the desired behavior. Because children grow and develop rapidly, these goals and strategies can change almost daily! So collaboration and discussion with the speech therapist is very important as the caregiver is a key component to the child’s success.
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