{"id":4946,"date":"2013-08-21T19:12:42","date_gmt":"2013-08-21T19:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=4946"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:27:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:27:18","slug":"help-my-child-isnt-reaching-communication-milestones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapist\/help-my-child-isnt-reaching-communication-milestones\/","title":{"rendered":"Help! My Child Isn’t Reaching Communication Milestones"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image Courtesy of speechandot.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Are you worried about your preschooler or kindergartener? Maybe there have been signs that something is just not quite right with her communication skills, or her preschool teacher has mentioned she isn\u2019t reaching typical communication milestones just yet. You\u2019ve maybe even heard that it is \u201cjust a phase\u201d or that your child will \u201ccatch up\u201d with the other kids her age. While every child is an individual and will make progress at his or her own unique pace, it is also important to listen to those gut feelings and inner voices you have that something might be causing this delay.<\/p>\n

Developmental Communication Milestones in the Early Years<\/h2>\n

Whether or not you suspect a problem or challenge for your child you should be aware of the developmental communication milestones that exist for his or her age group. These early years are usually a time of great strides, especially towards academic skill building. The foundations of writing, reading, and more comprehensive conversation skills are just some aspects of communication milestones<\/a> that should begin to be reached during these years.<\/p>\n

I Think There Is A Problem \u2013 What Do I Do?<\/h2>\n

After you\u2019ve taken an assessment of age-appropriate milestones, ask yourself some of these questions<\/a> about your child\u2019s personal development. It is important to start with how you and your family see your child developing because you are the ones who spend the most time with him or her, and are likely to be the most in tune with her development and how it affects daily life. Address your concerns with your child\u2019s pediatrician or healthcare provider, as well as any preschool or kindergarten teachers or staff members. There are many resources available to help diagnose developmental communication delays or disorders.<\/p>\n

Teachers<\/h3>\n

If your child has been attending preschool or kindergarten, talk with his or her teachers about communication milestones that might not be met. Sometimes these professionals have procedures in place to work as a team with school SLP\u2019s<\/a> to evaluate and form plans for helping students.<\/p>\n

Healthcare Providers<\/h3>\n

If your child isn\u2019t meeting communication milestones as expected, it can be the sign of an individual communication delay, or it may be a symptom of a larger problem. Communication delays and disorders can be present as parts of other sometimes more serious disorders or disabilities. Autism, a brain injury causing apraxia of speech, and dysarthria (oral muscle weakness) are just some conditions that can cause children to have communication delays but that represent a larger health issue. Children should have a complete health physical to look for any underlying causes behind lagging communication milestones.<\/p>\n

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Image Courtesy of talkingwithtoddlers.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)<\/h3>\n

While your healthcare provider is an important partner in caring for your child, evaluations by SLPs can be invaluable to diagnosing communication delays. Sometimes your healthcare provider will suggest that you seek further evaluation, but you don\u2019t need a referral from a physician for many of these programs. You can seek an evaluation on your own, or your child\u2019s preschool or kindergarten program might have SLPs available for early childhood screening and intervention. Sometimes in early intervention a home visit is done to assess the child. Most assessments will include some of the following<\/a>:<\/p>\n