Does my child suffer from speech or language disorders?

Does my child suffer from speech or language disorders?

Sometimes it is natural that your child may start speaking late or may find difficulty in reading and writing in the initial years of school.Take it easy and do not panic.You may give your child some more time but…
The following indicators suggest that the concerned child needs to be assessed by a professional Speech and Language pathologist.

• Delay in Development of Speech

1.  By 2 - 2 1/2 years a child should be able to form two word sentences.
2. By 3 years a child should be able to form three word sentences.
3. By 4 years a child should be able to narrate stories.

• Poor Communicative Skills:

1. The child neither makes eye contact nor has a social smile. He also does not wait for his turn in class.
2.  Chatter Box: The child indulges in meaningless speech and / or repeats whatever is said to him meaninglessly.
3.  Poor ability to Understand Language (comprehension skills) : The child might answer everyday questions like “What is your name?”, but not “What did you eat for breakfast yesterday?”
4.  Poor Speech Clarity: Child’s speech should be clear by 4 years.
5.  Colour Confusion: Children between 4 and 5 years should be able to name all basic colours.
6.  Dysfluent Speech : Children should have fluent speech by 4 1/2 years. There should be no repetitions, hesitations, pauses, etc. in their speech.

•  Clumsiness is often associated with a speech and language disorder

1.  A clumsy child can be observed dropping things repeatedly in the class.
2.  By 4 years, children should be able to draw a circle and a cross.
3.  By 6 years, children should be able to cut out simple shapes and have an adult like grasp of the pencil.

• Difficulty in identifying shapes:

1. A child should be able to match the 3 basic shapes by 3 years and name them by 5 years.

• Difficulty in arranging in sizes (big to small):

1. A child should be able to make a tower of 5 blocks graduated in size by 4 years.

• Difficulty with positional words: For e.g. In, On, Under, Behind. A child should be able to understand these words by 3 years.

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