Articles

Children can add joy and fulfilment to a working parent?s life. They can also add a lot of extra work. After a full day at the office, tidying up after the kids, cleaning the house, making lunches and endless other chores, can easily add up to a sixteen hour work day.

Yes-we get tired, but we perform our work duties with love and care because the well being of our children is at stake. But what does a parent know about helping a child with a speech problem? Parents do not have much instinctive knowledge in this area. We may even make matters worse, by trying to help before fully understanding the problem.

In this article, common warning signs for preschool communication problems will be outlined. In part two of this series, you will receive ten tips on how to help your child at home, without adding another full time job to your already busy schedule.

Warning Signs For Speech and Language Delay:

Preschool children have the daunting task of learning a very complex system of sounds, words, and organizational structures, called communication, within an extremely short period of time. Most children have become extremely capable communicator by the young age of three. Others learn this complex system more slowly and with more difficulty.

Approximately 10% of children experience delayed speech or language skills. Permanent or transient hearing difficulties are to blame for the communication problems of about half of these children: while the other half have clear medical histories. Your communicatively delayed preschooler is likely a bright and healthy child.

Because your child is doing well overall, it is easy to disregard his communication difficulties. Add to this, bad advise from well-meaning grandparents and even doctors (e.g., ?Don?t worry, he?ll grow out of it?) and it is easy to understand why parents sometimes completely ignore their child?s problems. This is often the worst thing you can do. Unaddressed communication problems can lead to social withdrawal, behavioural difficulties and even academic failure.

A parent?s first and most important role, is to seek help early for a child who exhibits any of the following warning signs for a communication delay.

At 1 to 2 Years of Age:

• your child cannot understand simple instructions like ?sit down? or ?come here?
• has not demonstrated interest in imitating words or sounds
• have fewer than ten words in his spoken vocabulary, e.g., doggie, ball
• has not started to join two words together, e.g., saying ?go bye-bye? or ?more cookie?

At 2 to 3 Years of Age:

• has not started to form three word ?sentences?, e.g., ?Karen coat here?, ?See big tree?.
• cannot make himself understood at least half the time to people outside the family
• not interest in looking at books or learning new words
• trouble naming things correctly

At 3 to 4 Years of Age:

• less than 70% of what he says is understandable to people outside the family
• has not started to form four and five word ?sentences?, e.g., ?Karen is in the car?
• rarely asks questions or initiates conversation
• frequently omits words or word endings in spoken sentences; or confuses word order

At 4 to 5 Years of Age;

• has trouble following three-part oral directions, e.g. ?Go to the kitchen, get your slippers and give them to Dad?
• less than 90% understandable to people outside the family
• frequent spoken language errors, e.g., naming errors, verb tense errors, omission of words
• has difficulty telling or retelling a story, or relating an experience

If your child demonstrates one or more of the above warning signs and his hearing is normal, arrange to see a Speech-Language Pathologist for a complete communication assessment. Speech-Language Pathologists have Masters Degrees in the field of human communication disorders, and are Certified with the Ontario College (CASLPO). They work in hospitals, treatment centres and private clinics.

To access private services check your health care insurance. Your employee benefit package or extended health plans may cover a portion of the fees. If there is a wait for services, part two of this article may help. It provides tips on how to help your child at home while you wait for professional services to begin.

Kerry Erle, M.Cl.Sc.
Speech-Language Pathologist, Director
Reg. CASLPO, S-LP(C), CCC-SP
London Speech and Language Centre