Does My Preschooler Need Speech Therapy?

Every person who has spent time around a preschooler knows that his speech is not always understandable. A preschool child often does not make the sounds correctly all of the time. Parents need to understand what is typical speech development and what is not typical. Once a parent understands typical development, they can decide whether intervention is necessary.

What is typical for preschool speech?

-By 3 years old, speech should be understandable the majority of the time.
-At age 3, preschoolers typically make the H,Y,W,NG,M,P,K,T,B,G,D sounds
-At age 4, preschoolers add the F,L,SH,CH sounds
-At age 5, kindergartners add the J,S,Z,R
-After age 6, elementary school students begin to make the V,TH sounds

When should I have my preschooler evaluated for speech therapy?

Typically, language development (speech more or less) is evaluated in three areas: hearing, speaking and understanding. If a child has difficulty in any of the areas, speech therapy may be necessary. Following is a partial list of signs that a child may need speech therapy.

-7 year old or older who can not produce all sounds
-A preschooler consistently appears not to understand what is being said
-A preschooler mimics what is being said repeatedly after age 2
-A preschooler over age 3 that says words but is not understandable
-A preschooler over age 3 that consistently leaves sounds out of words
-A preschooler who has had chronic ear infections
-A preschooler who has frequent tantrums due to being unable to express himself

What does a speech therapist do?

A speech therapist evaluates individuals for all areas of language development. The therapist observes at the sounds made during speech, the number of sounds and words used together, and whether or not an individual understands what is being said. The facial muscles and use of mouth are also evaluated to determine if the muscles are strong enough to make necessary sounds. A treatment plan is developed from the findings of this evaluation.

Speech therapists also provide interventions to help build language skills. Two such interventions are articulation activities and language activities. In articulation activities, a preschooler will learn how to form sounds. Exercises are done to strengthen the ability to make a particular sound. In language activities, props such as books, pictures or toys are used to introduce and build vocabulary and to strengthen language development.

If you feel your preschooler may be a candidate for speech therapy, contact your local school district. Speech therapy must be provided with no charge to preschoolers over age 3 and school aged children.