Today, we are fortunate to be publishing a guest post on a concern shared by a growing number of moms: toddler speech development and corresponding therapy. Let me welcome again Mommy Micah, who has been one of our regular contributors. Mommy Micah shares with us in this post her experience in seeking toddler speech therapy for his son in this two-part series.

What You Must Know About Speech Therapy for Toddlers

By: Mommy Micah de Jesus

Every child has a different timeline. However, some parents may find a cause for concern when their child’s developmental milestone seems to be impeded as compared with other kids. And nowadays, one problem area that many encounter as early as the toddler stage is speech development.

Usually, by the time a child turns 2, he already knows 50 words, can string words to form short sentences, and his vocabulary increases as reflected by the new words he learns every month. However, this isn’t always the case–and as a mom, you have to know when it’s time to look at it as a problem that your child has to overcome.

How to Tell if Your Child has a Speech Development Problem

According to Liberty Gates, a speech pathologist, most parents will be guided by their instincts to know if their child has speech or language problems. “They may notice that their child is falling behind the others in playgroup, or having trouble communicating and understanding. These are usually reliable signs that a child could have a speech or language disorder,” she says.

In addition to that is the checklist that can help you tell when it’s time to seek the help of a speech pathologist. Professional help may be needed especially if your child is:

• difficult to understand
• perceived by people as younger because of how he speaks
• frustrated with how he talks and may already be teased by others
• only using fewer words than other children his age
• stuttering when he speaks
• exhibiting inappropriate interactions or unusual play
• experiencing difficulties with reading or writing
• diagnosed with a condition that could affect speech or language (hearing loss, auditory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay)

Does screentime affect speech development?

A recent study suggests that screen time could be a factor why nowadays, more children are experiencing developmental problems.
Based on the research involving around 900 children from 6 months to 2 years old, those who spent more time using mobile devices were more prone to experience delays in expressive speech, compared to those who didn’t use mobile devices as much. It also suggests that for every 30 minutes of screen time, risk of expressive speech delay increases by 49%.

The Role of Speech Therapy in Your Child’s Development

While with little children, problem with speech development is hard to judge as pronunciation and usage of grammatically correct words is challenging and usually takes time, parents should be able to acknowledge when speech therapy is needed especially for children with difficulties. And this should take little convincing once you realize the benefits that can help you realize your developmental goals for your child, including:

1. Develop your child’s capability to express what he wants or needs.
2. Develop understanding for verbal and non-verbal communication that people commonly use.
3. Develop the capability to build friendships or stronger bond with others.
4. Develop the ability to communicate by articulating words and sentences clearly.
But aside from knowing the benefits that it can provide your child, one important thing to look into is identifying when your child should begin speech therapy.

When to Start?

It is advised for a child to undergo speech therapy as early as possible. The sooner the treatment starts, the greater the results to be expected. However, you must first secure a doctor’s order for your child’s developmental assessment. After that, you’ll be referred to speech therapy centers and be advised on the frequency of your child’s therapy sessions.

One of the highly recommended speech therapy centers is N. E. S. T. (Nurturing Early Skills Therapy) Center, Inc. This is where I chose to seek professional guidance for my son, as the center is managed by experienced health professionals who have undergone extensive training and advocate early intervention and family empowerment. Aside from that, we have considered its proximity to our place, its nice ambiance, and the facilities it provides.

Based on personal experience, they have a gentle but firm approach to kids that even protective parents will understand. Thanks to teachers like Teacher Trisha and Teacher Nina who take charge of my son’s Occupational Therapy and Speech therapy, respectively, I’ve seen tremendous improvements on how my son communicates and interacts.

If you want to know if there is a N. E. S. T. center near you, here’s a list of their branches for your reference:

NEST Center Cainta
Address:
2nd Flr. Saunterfield Bldg.,
Km 17, Ortigas Ave. Ext.
Brgt. Sto. Nino,
Cainta, Rizal

NEST Center Manila
Address
1108-A Vicente Cruz St.
Sampaloc, Manila

NEST Center San Mateo
Address
3F RNC Bldg.
125 General Luna St.
Ampid, San Mateo, Rizal

NEST Center Greenhills
Address
Unit 406 Henry’s Bldg.,
#80 Ortigas Ave.,
Greenhills San Juan

Author Bio:

Micah de Jesus is the SEO Director of GrowthScout SEO Services, a digital marketing firm in Quezon City, that caters to the online marketing needs of clients in a range of industry, including events management and activation agency, public relations, marketing, education, and more.

So there you have it, hope you have learned something from Mommy Micah’s guest post. Stay tuned for the second part of this series.

If you wish to share your parenting experience, thoughts, open letter, or a parenting hack, you can do so via an article, a poem or whatever material in written form. You do not need to have your own website to contribute a guest post with us, just the willingness to share your thoughts to fellow parents. Hit me up at any of our social media channels via @happypinaymommy in Instagram or in Facebook. Thanks and till next post!

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