Q & A with Kelly

If you feel that your child has difficulty producing certain speech sounds, or is difficult to understand when speaking, they are likely a good candidate for speech therapy at Charleston Speech House. Most children show speech sound errors as they are learning to talk, but if your child has difficulty being understood beyond a certain age, or does not seem to be mastering certain speech sounds on their own, they could likely benefit from receiving speech therapy services.

Every child responds differently to speech therapy, and there are many factors at play, such as a child’s cognition, attention, and severity of speech difficulties. It is difficult to provide an estimate for how long speech therapy may be needed until therapy begins and progress towards objectives starts. Once progress is monitored over time, a more clear idea for length of services can be provided.

It is common for parents and close family members to understand the speech errors and patterns that their child or family member presents with. Even though you may understand your child well, it is possible that their extended family members, friends, and teachers may not be able to understand them, affecting their confidence and relationship with others.

Your child's speech development may mature on its own, but by delaying or deciding not to pursue treatment, your child may continue to experience frustration and a lack of confidence when speaking. By pursuing treatment, you can help to mitigate those concerns and allow them to communicate confidently and clearly sooner. The earlier you can commit to services the better, as speech patterns can become more habituated and difficult to correct the older a child becomes. Speech difficulties are also associated with reading difficulties, so if you can stay on top of speech development, this will allow for a greater foundation and success with reading.

Often in a school setting, especially within public schools, children are seen for speech therapy within a group and do not receive individualized services. When your child is seen at Charleston Speech House, your child is guaranteed to receive individualized treatment with a plan centralized around their specific areas of need. In addition to receiving individualized attention, the extra practice and repetition is always beneficial to achieve the most efficient results.