Infants develop a repertoire of spoken, communicative behaviors that indicate their intent. They respond to adult questions and make requests. They can express needs, wants, and feelings. They point to objects with their index fingers. Infants babble before they acquire the ability to use words. These early wordless vocalizations are called babbling. Infants babble for practice in building the mouth, jaw, and tongue muscles needed for speech sounds.
In a typical speech therapy session, the practitioner will engage in non-directive play with the child. The child may be given a variety of toys (blocks, dolls, etc.) and the therapist may use any of these toys to initiate play. When the child is playing with a toy (or even just looking at it), the therapist will attempt to elicit speech from the child, usually by naming the objects. For example, if the child is playing with a doll, he or she may be asked “What do you have?”
The therapist will also likely try to encourage spontaneous speech from the child. While playing with a toy, for example, the therapist may say “What does this say?” or “What does that say?” and then wait for the child’s response. Because many children with language disorders have difficulty understanding what is being said to them, they may have difficulty responding appropriately when prompted in this way. Therefore, after asking what certain objects are, it may be beneficial to ask how they are used instead of what they are called; if an object can be used in multiple ways (e.g., as a doll and as a car), this information would then be provided by the therapist.
Speech therapists are used to working with children of all ages, but some speech-language pathologists specialize in working with children between the ages of one and two. When a child reaches the age of one and has yet to master certain language skills, like consistently using “p” for “pear” instead of “b,” the parents might notice a problem and decide to seek help from a professional. Speech therapists for one-year-olds are not only trained to identify problems and treat them, they are also equipped to develop teaching plans that parents can use at home to reinforce the treatment work that their child is doing during therapy sessions.
The first thing that speech therapists will do when they begin working with a one-year-old is conduct an evaluation. This involves observing how the child behaves in various settings, listening carefully as he or she speaks, and asking questions about how the child communicates in various situations. By conducting this evaluation, it helps the therapist determine what type of therapy to provide. The therapist may want to work on teaching the child how to correctly say sounds, or offer strategies for helping him or her express feelings more effectively.
Children who have speech delays may have trouble communicating with others, especially on a large scale or in front of many listeners. A child might not be able to effectively communicate needs and wants, or express their emotions. In school, this can affect the way students learn and interact with teachers and other students. It’s also possible that a child can develop social anxiety due to their inability to speak up for themselves.
The good news is that speech therapy is a highly effective treatment for these problems. Speech therapy can help a child build confidence when it comes to speaking clearly and openly around others, which directly impacts their ability to learn in school, on the playground, and anywhere else they need to communicate with others.
Speech therapy can also help children who have difficulty vocalizing certain sounds or words by providing them with exercises that strengthen the muscles they’ll use when speaking. With regular practice of these exercises, children will be able to say more clearly and confidently than before.