Speech Buddies Emphasizes Speech-Language Education this May During Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM)
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 13, 2016 -- This May, in support of Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM), Speech Buddies Connect, a new resource for instantly scheduling speech therapy appointments with qualified speech therapists, urges parents to understand the signs of a speech delay in young children. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, approximately 8-9 percent of preschoolers struggle to use their voices. Speech Buddies is dedicated to educating parents of children with speech-language disorders with its extensive educational content and speech therapist network.
“Recognizing speech delays is a nuanced process and often isn’t as simple as checking off boxes from a list. Speech-language intervention is a crucial step in advocating for a child’s development, and knowing the signs of a speech delay is key,” says Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP, and a co-founder of Speech Buddies. “Above anything else, parents should trust their instincts, play it safe if there is concern and make an appointment with a speech-language pathologist.”
Rogers offers the following developmental milestones to help parents identify when speech-language is an issue:
For a child between the ages of 20 and 24 months, some of the common red flags include:
● Mispronouncing vowel sounds or talking using primarily vowels
● Using a single sound or syllable as a catch-all to name what’s in his or her environment
● Using a word only once without frequent re-use
● Not showing much language progress from one month to the next
● Not answering questions beyond repeating back all or part of what’s been asked
● Using only single words when speaking
While keeping an eye out for any of the above, understand that children under the age of 3 are still learning. During that process, they will typically mispronounce many words, have difficulty using complete sentences regularly, and will sometimes say things that are unintelligible even to a well-trained parental ear. Substituting one consonant sound for another, blending consonant sounds, or mixing up longer words are common attributes of the language-development process.
For a child between the ages of 2 and 3, an evaluation is a good idea if a child:
● Says only specific words or word sounds repeatedly
● Only imitates speech or actions without using new words or phrases
● Is unable to follow simple directions or commands
● Is more difficult to understand than other children of around the same age
● Has a raspy, nasal-sounding, or otherwise unusual tone of voice
By age 5, be on the lookout for these markers:
● Not being able to give his or her first and last name
● Not being able to correctly use plurals or past tense verbs (most but not all of the time)
● An inability to understand two-part commands that include prepositions
● A lack of asking 5-W questions (such as “what?” or “why?”)
● Difficulty talking about what he or she has done during the day or in a given situation
Local parents seeking a speech therapist in the Brooklyn and Manhattan areas are encouraged to take advantage of the Speech Buddies Connect program, which matches parents with highly qualified, vetted specialists. Initial consultations are offered for $25.
Each May, Better Hearing & Speech Month (BHSM) provides an opportunity to raise awareness about speech and communication disorders.
ABOUT SPEECH BUDDIES, INC.
Speech Buddies is the maker of a set of tools to help children overcome speech disorders and Speech Buddies Connect, a marketplace to bring parents together with local speech professionals.
For more information, please visit: http://www.speechbuddy.com
Follow Speech Buddies on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Sarina Appel, Speech Buddies, Inc., http://www.speechbuddy.com, +1 866-247-8030, [email protected]
Share this article