The answer was a clear yes. The pandemic did<\/em> see a great frequency of diagnosis of speech delay in children.<\/p>\n This post is dedicated to acknowledging this reality and proposing solutions to the collateral effect of the pandemic.<\/p>\n First, the study was huge. The authors\u2019 analysis covered almost 2.5 million children. They were broken into four groups, one year-olds, two year-olds, three year-olds and four year-olds.<\/p>\n Second, the results were statistically significant. <\/em>The researchers can be very confident that their findings are not due to chance and are in fact a representation of reality.<\/p>\n Third, they found increased diagnosis across all four age groups analyzed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now that we understand this situation is real and the pandemic is the likely cause of a greater prevalence of speech delay, let\u2019s talk about what we can do to address it.<\/p>\n When a parent, teacher or pediatrician first raises a concern about a child\u2019s speech development, the first step is always an evaluation with a licensed speech-language pathologist. Should the evaluation yield a diagnosis of speech delay, the next urgent step is to begin a course of therapy.<\/p>\n For decades, we\u2019ve known of the existence of critical periods<\/em> of speech development.\u00a0 The periods that children are expected to acquire given skills by a certain age. If a child misses these critical windows of development, rest assured speech therapy has been proven to catch children up.\u00a0 However, the sooner a child can be seen, the better the child\u2019s prognosis.<\/p>\n Once a decision is made to get an evaluation, the next question to answer is where<\/em> will we get these services? Luckily, there are many ways to do this but they all require a different procedure and have their strengths and drawbacks.<\/p>\n See below for a list of these options which may be dependent on age, income or employment requirements:<\/p>\n This list is not absolutely exhaustive and other options that may be available to you.\u00a0 Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n Grant funding At Speech Buddies we are committed to providing superior speech therapy solutions for all involved in the process (children, parents, caregivers, educators and fellow therapists).<\/p>\n Our Speech Buddies Tools<\/a> have strong data to support their use with a wide range of speech delays. We also offer a free online directory for speech therapists nationwide on Speech Buddies Connect.<\/a><\/p>\n Lastly, we know the importance of setting up speech therapy promptly following a speech delay diagnosis.\u00a0 Please feel free to email us at info@speechbuddies.com<\/a> for guidance on how to get started. We\u2019d welcome the opportunity to point you in the right direction of either local, regional or national resources that you\u2019d have available to you.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n By Gordy Rogers, M.S. CCC-SLP<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/stephen-andrews-u0zTce7KNlY-unsplash-scaled.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nStudy Key Points:<\/h2>\n
Solutions:<\/h2>\n
Options to explore:<\/h2>\n
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TriCare (military insurance)
Therapeutic day schools – more significant developmental or medical needs<\/p>\nConnect:<\/h2>\n
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