Assessing Your Child’s Speech and Language Needs
Supporting your child
It is often difficult to know if your child has difficulty with their speech or language.
What is the difference and what assessment should you book?
The Difference between Speech and Language
At the core, speech is how you say something, and language is what you say. Your speech is what you hear–how your tongue and lips and mouth make sounds, whether or not you have an accent, how your voice goes up and down, whether not you stutter…all of those things are speech.
Speech is what we’re noticing when someone has difficulty producing a certain sound. If you’ve noticed someone having a lisp, or a child who can’t say their “R” sounds (i.e wabbit instead of rabbit), you’ve noticed their speech. It’s how they’re saying their sounds that is catching your ear.
Language is the “meat” of what you’re saying. It’s the words you’re choosing and what they mean, it’s how you’re putting those words together into sentences, and how you’re changing the beginnings or endings of those words to mean different things (like girl vs girls or preschool vs school).
We provide assessment and intervention for children of all ages. Sessions are offered both face to face in our clinic in Sligo town and/or via tele-therapy. If you are concerned that your young child does not have enough words yet, or that your child’s speech is not as clear as it could be then we can support you.
Struggle to imitate the sounds made by others.
Have less sounds than expected for their age
Have unintelligible speech after 24 months of age and cannot be understood by those who do not know the child well.
A child should be referred for a speech assessment if they:
A child should be referred for a language assessment if they:
Have difficulty following commands.
Are slow to show an understanding of new words.
Cognitive changes such as decreased memory or problem solving skills.
Have difficulties communicating basic needs.
Are not combining words by 18 months of age.
stops saying sounds or words he or she had previously mastered.
Have difficulty or does not respond to directions, questions or conversations with others.
Struggle to or are not able to start conversations with others.
Are not speaking in sentences by 36 months of age.