Increasingly in our culture, behavior is a challenge in young children. Strong food preferences and refusals and the family table disrupt quality time with sibs and parents. Emotions run high.
Some children with delayed speech and most children with austism display sensory differences that impact their eating. Addressing these behaviors requires structure and persistence!
Check out this article for ideas!
Is your child a “late talker”?
Most children have a few words at 12 months of age and a rapidly growing vocabulary. At 18 – 24 months they begin to put two words together. These early words are not pronounced perfectly, but they are consistent in meaning. Toddlers who are late to speak or not yet speaking need an evaluation.
Does your child get frustrated or give up when trying to communicate with family or friends?
Typical children are understood most of the time by family and friends by age 3. They are easily understood by age 4. At age 5 they have their speech and grammar is clear, with one or two sound errors, such a ‘f’ for ‘th’ or ‘th’ for ‘s’ or a distorted ‘r’ sound. Grammar errors such as “brung” for “brought” are common.
Every child deserves to be heard and to understand others. Each little personality is unique. When dealing with skill deficits, some children will develop significant negative behaviors due to frustration. Some will become quieter and seem “shy.” Some children just keep trying with a smile! Get an evaluation and consider therapy.
Does your toddler stutter?
Some toddlers go through a period of stuttering as their speech and language rapidly develop. Parents can be alarmed at the sudden onset and severity of the stuttering. Most children grow out of this quickly, but if a pattern develops or you have concerns, consult a therapist. Changes in the language environment are helpful and therapy may be warrented.
Contact me!
Speechlady59@yahoo.com
Cell phone 410-591-5036
Free Initial Consultations
Welcome! I am a nationally certified and Maryland licensed speech language pathologist. I have worked extensively with early intervention and elementary school children with mild to severe communication disorders.
I’m now offering private individualized therapy in your home on a flexible schedule. I work with children ages 2 – 18 years with speech and language delays related to Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down syndrome, cognitive impairment, neurological impairment, social/behavioral delays, bilingualism, apraxia, seizure disorders, hearing impairment, and genetic disorders. Therapy improves speech intelligibility, phonological processing, expressive, receptive, and social language, and fluency.
Core curriculum-based therapy and reading/writing support is available for students with learning d
isabilities, language delay, or articulation delay. Thematic vocabulary with creative use of music, play, yoga, and hands on activities is available for toddlers, preschooler, and younger students.
Accurate screenings and assessments are provided as needed. Therapy provides for sensory and behavior difficulties. Techniques include PROMPT (tactile) cuing, high and low tech visual supports, and Picture Communication Exchange (PECS).
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Elliott Speech & Language 