From the moment a child’s born, parents and medical professionals begin monitoring their development. This involves checking their weight and height to determine if they’re growing. It also involves monitoring their speech development and language skills.
Speech delays affect approximately 10 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 5. Most children can say typical words, such as “mama,” by the time they’re 15 months old, and preschoolers typically use short sentences by the time they’re 3. Several factors contribute to speech delays. Twins and preschoolers who don’t spend much time with other children may not develop at a typical rate. Autism, hearing disorders, and brain damage can also cause speech delays. Let’s look at some techniques for treating children with speech issues.
A speech therapist can diagnose and treat speech issues.
A speech-language pathologist is a health care professional qualified to diagnose and treat speech and swallowing disorders. Speech-language pathologists must have a master’s degree in their field and be licensed by the state where they work. They need to pass the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) exam to receive their state license and must complete continuing education courses every three years to maintain their license.
Speech-language pathologists evaluate patients to determine the cause of their speech or swallowing disorders. Speech therapists provide speech therapy services by developing individual treatment plans for each patient. Although traditionally, patients received speech therapy during in-person sessions in the therapist’s office, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many speech-language pathologists to embrace teletherapy. Patients with an internet connection can receive virtual speech therapy online. Innovative online speech therapy providers supplement teletherapy appointments with computer games designed to help patients overcome communication disorders and acquire age-appropriate communication skills.
Teletherapy offers multiple benefits to parents. Instead of spending hours in traffic driving to appointments, children can connect to their therapist in minutes online, reducing the amount of time required to get the health care services they need. Teletherapy also reduces their chances of contracting viruses because they don’t have to wait in medical offices.
Chiropractic treatment can help some preschoolers improve their speech.
Chiropractors are health care providers who treat neuromusculoskeletal issues. Chiropractors spend at least seven years completing postsecondary studies to earn their Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Chiropractors have to pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exam and be licensed by their state.
Chiropractors use various techniques to alleviate pressure on a patient’s spine, joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. When preschoolers visit NYC chiropractors, their chiropractor will assess their condition and develop a treatment plan. Chiropractors may use heat therapy or cold therapy as part of their treatment. Treatments can also include spinal adjustments. When a person’s spine isn’t aligned correctly, it can put pressure on the patient’s nerves. This can cause speech issues for some children. Chiropractic treatment can alleviate the pressure, restore nerve health, and enable the patient to speak correctly. Pediatric chiropractors have the training and skills needed to work with young children.
Auditory bombardment can help children improve their speech.
Auditory bombardment’s an effective treatment option that can help children improve their speech. Auditory bombardment starts with identifying the sounds the child has difficulty pronouncing. Children have mastered a sound when they can pronounce it at the beginning, middle, and end of words. Children who can’t consistently pronounce a sound in one or more of those placements may benefit from auditory bombardment.
Suppose a child can’t pronounce the “s” sound correctly. Parents and caregivers can implement an auditory bombardment program involving foods and activities. Plans could include reading books about spiders, cooking spaghetti, and playing Snakes and Ladders and I Spy. Repeated exposure to the correct pronunciation helps children improve their pronunciation skills.
Speech issues can affect a preschooler’s ability to communicate clearly. Online speech therapy, chiropractic treatment, and auditory bombardment programs may help children overcome speech issues.