Hi, I’m Vicky Poston Roy, speech-language pathologist and co-owner of Dynamic Therapy Specialists in Baton Rouge, LA. One of the questions I hear from parents all the time is, “Is it too late to start therapy?” And if you’re wondering the same thing, this article is for you.

No matter how young or old your child is, it’s common to feel uncertain about when to seek help for developmental delays. Today, I want to set the record straight and offer some clarity, encouragement, and guidance on when (and why) to get started.

Early Intervention Is Recommended Because It Is Effective

One common question that we get asked all the time is, “Is it too late to start intervention?” There are common misperceptions about this “magical” window of time where, if intervention doesn’t get started or isn’t completed within that window, then it’s too late.

That’s absolutely not true. It can be easier earlier on in development, yes, because there’s less learned behavior and less history of the child having certain types of experiences. But what we know from recent brain research and from clinical experience is that the brain continues to change, adjust, grow, and compensate over time.

There isn’t a magical window. Although it might be more ideal to catch something earlier rather than later, there’s no specific cutoff point where we’d say it’s “too late.”

Diagnoses Don’t Always Come Early, But Support Can

A great example of this is with kids who get a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder. Traditionally, this is a diagnosis that a lot of providers won’t even consider before the age of seven. We often get families who come in and say they weren’t able to get an evaluation because their child wasn’t old enough yet.

While it may be easier to diagnose at that age because we have more standardized assessments available, it’s not always ideal to wait. Now the child is seven, maybe eight, and they’ve had all this life experience—and they may already be significantly behind.

Even in this case, I would say it’s not too late. We can absolutely intervene at age seven, eight, ten, in middle school, high school, even with adults. But we are also able to identify risk factors and early signs of weakness much earlier, like when a child is four or five. Starting intervention at that point may make it less likely they even end up with a diagnosis later on.

“Wait and See” vs. “Nudge and See”

I often say that early intervention is best because the earlier we can get started, the better. Another common myth is the idea of “wait and see.” I’m a big proponent of not waiting and seeing. We could be losing really valuable time.

Instead, let’s nudge and see. Let’s do something. If a child’s development is just a little slow, we can nudge it, and it may take off. But if we spend time doing specific interventions and we don’t get the progress we were hoping for, that’s still helpful because we’ve already gotten started. We’re that much further along in the work we can do together, and we’re in a better position to say, “Okay, this is something we really need to spend time working on.”

Alternatively, we could nudge, and the child’s development takes off. At that point, we might say, “You know what? Maybe we could have waited. But we got things going sooner, and now we’re in a great spot.”

Can Your Child Still Make Progress if They’re Older?

So as far as “Is it ever too late?” I would say no. It’s not ever too late. There are better times to intervene, and sooner is better. But there is no specific age at which, if we don’t address auditory processing, speech delays, or other developmental needs, we won’t see progress. That’s just not true.

Another question people ask is: If I start later, can I expect the same type of progress? And unfortunately, every child is different. We never know exactly how far we can push development. However, as one of my favorite mentors told me when I was training with her: “We’ll do our best, and we’ll see where we can go.”

It’s never too late. With intensity, mindfulness, and a strategic approach, we are very likely to get the same types of progress even if we start later. But again, the earlier we address things, the more we can prevent learned behaviors, prevent habits from forming, and get started before major compensations are in place.

Reach Out to Dynamic Therapy Specialists to Get Started

If you’ve been wondering whether it’s too late to start therapy for your child, I want to reassure you it’s not. And we’re here to help you take the next step.

Call us at (225) 767-5032 to schedule an evaluation with our team at Dynamic Therapy Specialists today.