Ask An SLP: Rapid Fire Q&A
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We’re doing something a little different today.
These are all questions from parents (some that have been asked a lot) that I’m going to answer rapid-fire style: in 3 sentences or less.
When available, I’ll link to longer posts where I’ve answered a similar question in more depth. But if you’re looking for a short and sweet answer, keep reading.
Is a lack of pointing always because of autism? My 2-year-old has a speech delay and hardly ever points.
No. There aren’t any individual traits, signs/symptoms, or delays that are always due to autism. A lack of pointing can just be part of a speech delay.
What causes speech delays?
There are a lot of potential causes depending on the type of delay (known causes are usually bigger medical things like hearing loss, genetic disorders, cleft palate, etc.). But most of the time it just happens and we don’t know why.
Is baby sign language going to delay my baby talking? My daughter is 14 months old and so far she knows about 4 signs but doesn’t use any words independently. I wasn’t worried but people told me using baby signs was a bad idea.
Absolutely not. Using baby signs will not delay your child's talking (plus, signs count as words and are great for helping your kiddo with early communication skills).
My son is 2.5 years old and autistic. How do I help him understand emotions?
Kids can’t usually describe their emotions until 3-4 years old, so it’s totally normal for your son to have trouble with that at his age. But if you want to start teaching that, I’d focus on naming and describing emotions when you’re feeling them or when you see your son feeling them (e.g. “I love cookies. I feel happy because I like eating this cookie.”).
Can speech delays be considered a disability? My daughter is 5 years old and can’t speak in complete sentences. Would her doctor consider her a person with a disability because of this?
Yes, in that situation her doctor would consider her speech delay a disability. I’d ask what services or supports might be available to help her - speech therapy would be a great place to start if she isn’t doing that yet.
What are home-based methods for treating childhood apraxia of speech?
Look into the Kauffman Protocol. It’s not designed specifically for home-based therapy, but it’s effective, easy to understand, and absolutely something you could do at home as a parent.
My 4-year-old daughter has trouble making the R sound. Her daycare recommended myofunctional therapy to help with muscle use. What should we do?
Unless she’s having other muscle-related issues that would require myofunctional therapy, I wouldn’t do anything at her age. The R sound typically isn’t considered delayed until 7 or 8 years old. Give it a few years and there’s a good chance she’ll start making the sound all on her own.
When will my child start talking?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to know or predict how long it will take for kids to start talking or making progress in therapy. But it’s frequently an ongoing process that takes a lot longer than people want it to.
We’re a bilingual household and my son has a speech delay. Should we pick one language and only use that?
NO. Being bilingual or multilingual will NOT cause a speech delay, contribute to a speech delay, or make a speech delay worse. Keep using any and all languages your family normally would - it can actually help with speech development in the long run.
My 4-year-old still isn’t talking. What did I do wrong?
Absolutely nothing. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.
Can I do speech with my son at home or do I need to take him to a therapist?
You can absolutely do speech at home. And, if you have the opportunity to see a speech therapist, that’s a great idea too (but keep practicing at home even if you do that).
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Hi, I'm Emily
Founder of Moms Teach Speech
Emily helps parents who have kids with speech delays support their children's development with a holistic, functional, family-centered approach. She shares the strategies & activities she would use as a professional SLP so you can use them at home to become your child's best therapist.
Did you know..?
The easiest way to make speech practice feel so effortless and natural for your child that they don't even know they're "practicing"...
Is to use simple speech strategies during their daily routines.
Ready to learn how?
Our the Everyday Activities Mini-Course will walk you step-by-step through our favorite strategies to make speech practice easier than ever!
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