Speech therapy consists of techniques and activities aimed at improving communication by addressing delays and disorders in language, articulation, motor function, social language, and overall cognitive skills. This type of therapy is excellent for children who are experiencing issues in their language development, but how?
As one of the leading post-acute care facilities in southern California, we work closely with people of all ages in their speech therapy. We make sure they have the support and knowledge needed to ensure their speech progresses efficiently. Read our article below and learn how speech therapy can help children’s development.
Warning Signs That Your Child Needs Speech Therapy
Every child develops speech and language at their own pace. Milestones for development can vary a great deal depending on the child, but there are some signs you should keep an eye on in case there is a large problem, such as:
- They use less than 20 words at 18 months and less than 50 words by age 2.
- Your child only uses a few sounds to pronounce all words.
- By age 2, most children should understand more than 300 words. If your child has trouble understanding simple sentences, it may be time to schedule a speech therapy appointment.
- Your child talks infrequently and has trouble speaking socially.
- Your 2-year-old should be able to communicate at an acceptable volume and combine different words.
What Are The Benefits of Speech Therapy for Children?
The most apparent benefit of enrolling your child into a speech therapy program is how it helps with their communication. It provides children without a voice a way to communicate through unaided and/or aided communication. Aided communication can be anything from books, tech devices, and apps.
Another benefit to enrolling your child in a program is how it helps with their social skills. Social skills are an important component of interacting with others in a community and their life. When you have limited or no functional speech, language skills are often delayed and disordered, to the point where it impacts these social skills. Therapists can target these issues with video modeling, role-playing, apps, social stories, and other various strategies and resources.
In addition to these, speech therapy also helps children with their reading abilities. Speech delays can cause major problems when it comes to listening, reading, and writing, which results in even worse communication skills. When you can spell and write, you can communicate more freely. Teaching these skills is essential to better communicate with others.
Finally, another benefit to enrolling your child into a speech therapy program is how it enhances other communication methods. In therapy, it’s common for your child to work on other forms of communication such as gestures, sign language, approximation, vocalizations, and other means of communicating. People communicate with a total communication approach, meaning we not only use speech to interact with each other. We use facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, writing, typing, and so much more to be our voice.
As a result of all this, therapy is a great source for eliminating communication frustrations. With the right program and exercises, your child will be given the support they need to grow up to be an effective communicator.
South Coast Post Acute’s Staff are Qualified Speech Therapists
South Coast Post Acute is a 5-star rated Medicare facility and private healthcare community in southern California. For over 40 years, we’ve provided first-class service that emphasizes a high level of compassion and spirit. When you enroll in our facility, you aren’t just treated as a patient, you’re treated like family. With an educated staff who understands your needs, our team of professionals is capable of helping you.
Contact us today and learn how South Coast Post Acute’s staff can help your child in their speech development.