Speech
A Speech Delay or Disorder is where a child experiences difficulties in producing speech sounds to form words and sentences. Research suggests that children with speech problems are at an increased risk for future literacy difficulties at school.
Symptoms that suggest your child may have a Speech Delay or Disorder include:
- Difficulties being understood by unfamiliar listeners
- Speech sounds slushy
- Substitutes ‘s’ with ‘th’ (e.g. thun for sun)
- Inconsistent substitution of sounds for the correct sound
- Deletion of sounds at the beginning, middle or end of words
- Experiences frustration when not easily understood by others
- Difficulties in producing age appropriate sounds (see Speech Milestones).
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is a motor planning disorder which affects a child’s ability to coordinate their speech muscles to produce sounds and words.
Symptoms that suggest your child may have Dyspraxia include:
- Has inconsistent speech errors
- Use of ‘searching’ mouth movements with their lips and tongue when trying to say a word
- Difficulties in saying more complex longer words (e.g. hospital)
- Difficulties in being understood by others
- Delayed language development
- Difficulties in making sounds or repeating sequences of sounds (i.e. puh tuh ka)
- May get stuck on a particular sound or words and continue to repeat it (i.e. perseveration)
- Difficulties in maintaining normal intonation patterns
- May speak slower, and use more pauses and less words
- Simplification of words (e.g. dip for skip)
- Moving sounds around within a word (e.g. tobe for boat)
- Difficulties in producing speech when stressed or anxious
- Use of gestures to help communicate their needs and wants.
Contact us for further information.