Speech Therapy
Communication and Feeding
Speech therapists help children develop critical communication skills so that they can interact with others and make their wants and needs to be known at home, at school, and in community settings. They also help develop oral motor and feeding skills.
Why Speech Therapy?
Treatment Focuses On
How do I know my child needs a speech therapy evaluation?
6 Months
- Has difficulty feeding
- Does not respond to familiar people
- Does not coo or babble
12 Months
- Does not call parent by “mama” or “dada” or another special name
- Does not use gestures like: waving “bye-bye”, shaking head, reaching for up
- Does not understand “no”
- Does not look when you point
18 Months
- Does not use at least 20 simple words
- Does not imitate words
- Cannot follow one step instructions (without gestures)
- Does not look at a few pages of a book with you
2 Years
- Uses more gestures than words
- Does not say 2-3 words together
- Is not able to point to body parts when you ask them
- Is not able to point to things in a book when you ask them such as point to the dog”
3 Years
- Does not carry a conversation with at least 2 back and forth exchanges
- Does not ask questions like who, what, where or why
- Does not use words like in, on or under
- Is not able to name the action happening in a picture book like running, swinging, playing…
- Does not answer yes or no questions
- Is unable to tell you their name when asked
- Is not able to be understood by most people
- Cannot follow 2 steps directions
4-5 Years
- Does not use sentences of at least 4-5 words
- Does not carry a conversation with at least 3 back and forth exchanges
- Does not try to repeat words from a song, story or nursery rhyme
- Is not able to talk about at least one thing that happened during their day
- Is not able to answer simple questions like “What is a crayon for?”
- Is unable to tell a simple story
- Is unable to answer simple questions about a book read to them
- Has consistent trouble with certain speech sounds
Learn More About Us
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my child needs speech therapy?
Your child may benefit from a speech therapy evaluation if:
- You or other people have trouble understanding your child.
- If your child is showing frustration when you do not understand what he/she is saying
- People thing you child is younger than they are based on the way they speak.
- If your child is using fewer words than other children his/her age
- If your child stutters.
- If your child’s social interactions seem unusual or inappropriate.
- If your child has a diagnosis that could affect his/her speech or language such as: hearing loss, autism, or developmental delays.
- If your child has difficulty feelings and-or swallowing
- If your child has difficulty following simple directions or does not respond when you say his/her name.
- If your child has reduced eye contact.
What are some of the diagnoses treated by your speech therapists?
Diagnoses treated by the occupational therapists at Joe’s Kids include but are not limited to:
- Developmental or Speech Delay
- Verbal Apraxia
- Autism
- Receptive and/or expressive language delays
- Dysphagia
- Neurological conditions
- Genetic disorder
Joe's Kids has been our saving grace. They have been right there with us 100% of the way.
Susie Owen's Mom
