Most commonly first identified in children ages 3 to 5, speech sound disorders affect the clearness  and/or articulation of words as children start to test out their speech skills. There are many signs your child may need some extra help with their speech development. Most pediatricians will review these developmental milestones at check-ups, but since they are generalists and not specialists, it can be difficult to diagnose in the clinic during a short visit. It can also be challenging for a pediatrician to pin point exact sounds or articulation challenges, since the rate children learn can vary. However, there are key signs a speech-language pathologist will look for when evaluating if your child has, for instance, a speech impediment or speech delay, the two most common issues. You may need to seek an expert’s help if your child:

• has trouble vocalizing or imitating sounds at 12-18 months.
• is difficult to understand.
• speaks with an unusual tone of voice (very raspy or nasal sounding).
• stutters when speaking or leaves long pauses between words.
• rearranges the sounds in a word (“tomato” becomes “motato”).
• has difficulty producing certain sounds or consonants clearly.
• repeats themselves continually or speaks too quickly to understand.

Even if you are still unsure, contacting us for an evaluation will give you a peace of mind. Early intervention speech-language therapy can begin as soon as 18 months and can improve your child’s future communication skills to give them more confidence when speaking.