Speech Therapy FAQs

We often hear from families who are wondering about aspects of their child's speech and language development. In today's blog we answer your common questions about speech therapy!

When does my child need to see a speech therapist?

• This varies based on a child's age and overall development. We always take into consideration all aspects of a child's development when guiding families because there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Here are a couple of common speech and language topics that families share and what we advise before meeting the child:

  • My 2-year-old not talking, do I need to see a speech therapist

    • Speech therapist's advice: Reach out to a speech therapist for a free consultation. Speech therapy will likely be very helpful for this child!

  • My child has a made up language- no one understands what they're saying

    • Speech therapist's advice: Reach out to a speech therapist for a free consultation. It'd be helpful to learn more about this child's age, language and speech skills and other communication skills. Sometimes this is "jargon" and is a developmental stage toddlers progress through. Other times, children may need support to progress through the phase or could be developing in a way that warrants a different approach to speech therapy.

• My child understands everything but is not talking - do they need speech therapy?

  • Speech therapist's advice: Reach out to a speech therapist for a free consultation. It'd be helpful to learn more about this child's age, language and speech skills and other communication skills.

• My child is hard to understand- do they need speech therapy?

  • Speech therapist's advice: This also depends on a child's age! For young children (less than 2 years old), this may be developmentally appropriate. For older children, it is likely speech therapy would be helpful. A speech therapist will assess the sound errors the chil is presenting with and determine both if the child would benefit from speech therapy at that time and what approach to therapy would be best.

• My child repeats quotes from television shows, like Ms. Rachel or My child can sing their ABCs and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but doesn't say other things- do they need speech therapy?

  • Speech therapist's advice: Schedule a consultation with a speech therapist who understands and treats gestalt language processors. Children can develop language in different ways and working with a provider who understands both ways of developing will be important to finding the best guidance and support for your child.

What other questions do you have about your child's speech and language development? Feel free to email us at meghan@speechlanguageplaynyc.com or schedule a consultation

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