Late Talkers
in Baton Rouge, LA
Communication skills are vital for many areas of life, from doing well in school to making friends and eventually having a successful career. But if your child is a late talker, does that mean they’ll eventually catch up with their peers? Or do they need support to get back on track developmentally? Keep reading to learn more about delayed speech and language skills, late talkers, and how our team at Dynamic Therapy Specialists can empower your child to communicate freely.
What Is Delayed Speech and Language?
Delayed speech and delayed language are when a child’s speech and/or language development is behind that of their peers. Developmental milestones are used to evaluate a child’s progress by comparing it to the national average for their age. When a child is delayed in reaching these milestones, it can indicate a need for extra support.
What if My Child Is Just a Late Talker?
A late talker is the more common and informal way of referring to a child with delayed speech or language skills. In some cases, a child may simply be developing at their own speed and will start talking when they’re ready. But in most cases, a child who is a late talker has a developmental delay or other condition that should be addressed in pediatric therapy to help them achieve their speech and language milestones.
What Causes Speech and Language Delays?
Speech and language delays can have various underlying causes, including:
- Auditory processing disorder
- Oral-motor difficulties affecting speech
- Neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Premature birth or low birth weight
- Cleft lip or palate
- Lip or tongue tie
- Hearing loss or impairment
Signs of a Late Talker
The common signs of a late talker, or a child with a speech and/or language delay, can include:
- Limited vocabulary or use of fewer words than peers
- Difficulty combining words into phrases or sentences
- Trouble understanding or following verbal instructions
- Frustration or upsets when trying to express themselves
- Lack of interest in engaging in conversations with others
- Struggles with pronunciation or articulation
- Being nonverbal by age 2 years or older
- Trouble using or understanding nonverbal cues like hand gestures
How We Address Speech and Language Delays
At Dynamic Therapy Specialists, we take a holistic approach to pediatric therapy. Rather than simply teaching children how to compensate for the skills they struggle with, we take a bottom-up approach by focusing on remediation first. By evaluating the foundational areas of your child’s development, we can identify and address the root causes of their speech and language challenges.
Think of it this way: you have to learn to walk before you can learn to run. It’s not that you can’t learn how to run, but if you never learned how to walk first, you’ll be missing the basics that you need to support learning how to run. By prioritizing skill remediation over compensation, we empower children to build a strong foundation for future growth and development.
Schedule an Evaluation Today
If your child is a late talker or seems to struggle with speech or language, our team at Dynamic Therapy Specialists will go above and beyond to help. Call us at (225) 767-5032 to schedule an evaluation, and let’s work together to improve your child’s quality of life.