When To Get Help

Please review these recommendations from the American speech language hearing association.

It is recommended that your toddler have a speech and language evaluation if he or she does any of the following:

Does not appear to be progressing in their communication skills from month to month.
Does not yet initiate communication with others by saying words on their own.
Is not talking or saying very little.
Talking mostly in vowels (e.g., "ah" for a ball).
Using one catch-all sound or syllable to represent many words.
Not yet combining words into phrases or sentences.
Not yet waving "by/hi" or playing "peek-a-boo."
Not yet responding to simple requests and commands like "come here" or "get your shoes."
Not yet pointing to request.
Not yet pointing to identify a named object in picture books (e.g., "Where is the ball?").
Not yet responding when their name is called.

It is recommended that your school-age child have a speech and language evaluation if he or she exhibits one or more of the following behaviors::

Difficulty pronouncing words clearly.
Difficulty expressing ideas clearly, as if words are on the tip of the tongue but won't come out. What the child says may be vague and difficult to understand.
Using unspecific vocabulary, such as "thing" or "stuff," to replace words that cannot be remembered. Filler words like "um" may take time while the child recognizes the word.
The word order in sentences is "jumbled," indicating problems with sentence grammar (e.g., "He inside go").
The child often uses gestures to "fill in" words and ideas in conversations.
Difficulty staying on topic during a conversation.
Difficulty with re-telling a story/movie plot and sharing recent events. The child may "jump around in time" as they try to retell an event.
Difficulty learning new vocabulary that a child hears.
Difficulty understanding questions and following directions that are heard/read.