dimanche 24 mai 2015

Important Information About Speech Therapy For Toddlers Tucson Parents Should Know

By Tammie Caldwell


Children learn how to speak and communicate at their own pace, however it can happen that sometimes a child finds this particularly challenging due to a developmental delay. Timely intervention is essential to successfully overcoming this obstacle. When contemplating speech therapy for toddlers Tucson AZ parents should have a good understanding of the following guidelines.

Between the ages of one and three, also known as the toddler years, a child who is having trouble speaking may exhibit certain signs which parents should watch out for, besides the obvious which is minimal or no vocalizing and failure to respond to sound, the child may not use gestures, have difficulty imitating sounds, struggle to understand and follow simple verbal requests, and produce very few or no words or phrases.

The family doctor or pediatrician will evaluate the child, and most likely recommend that he or she be seen by a speech-language pathologist, more commonly referred to as a "speech therapist". In order to practice in this discipline, these professionals must have obtained at least a master's degree in the speech pathology, and be certified by ASHA, the American Speech Language Hearing Association.

It's important to choose a therapist who is not only very competent in his or her field, but also makes the child feel comfortable and is able to devise an effective program of therapy tailored to his or her specific condition and needs. The therapist must be someone who enjoys working with children and clearly demonstrates this by the great rapport they share with them and by making therapy fun in a toddler-friendly way.

Therapeutic approaches used should be those which have been proven successful through multiple research studies. Contacting some other parents of children who have undergone therapy with the particular therapist may be useful to get some feedback. The parents need to play an active role in their child's treatment, kept updated as to his or her progress, and their concerns and questions should be welcome at any time.

During the first appointment, the child will get to meet the therapist, and be assessed in various aspects of their verbal communication. In order to identify any problems, the therapist will need to conduct several standardized tests to evaluate the toddler's receptive and expressive language skills, speaking clarity and tone, and the oral structures such as the tongue and palate.

Based on the therapist's findings, a treatment plan will be devised if a problem is noted. Sessions may be delivered either in a one-on-one, group, or class format, in all cases parents should be welcome to participate or simply watch. Toddler-friendly games, songs, books, pictures, and other suitable objects are integrated used to create a fun atmosphere. Articulation therapy, which teaches sound through imitation, and oral strengthening exercises may also be practiced.

It is important for parents to continue to build upon at home, what their child has learned and accomplished with the therapist. Frequent and purposeful use of language such as "narrating" one's activities, feelings, and surroundings, or sharing a book and involving the toddler in naming familiar pictures etc. Help further development and establish the parent as part of the "team".




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