Children love to communicate, whether it is sending emojis on a text or speaking face to face. Expressing ourselves is a fundamental skill that plays a big role in daily life. Speech impacts a child’s emotional and social development, but should a parent be concerned if their toddler or school aged child is struggling speaking or communicating?
Social
It isn’t always easy for a parent or caregiver to identify if their child has a potential speech or language problem. A toddler between the ages of 6 and 18 months old should start saying their first couple of words, they should have a greater understanding of the words often used, such as “mama” or “bottle”, and interact with others intentionally.
People by nature are social creatures, learning how to socially interact with others is important, especially during the developmental years. Without it, a child typically becomes withdrawn and it is difficult for them to learn valuable lessons. Such as exchanging ideas, standing up for themselves, play nicely with others and compromise.
Emotion
Speech and language are essential to not only expressing emotions, but also internally comprehending them. For instance, a child may know what they want to say, but not able to put it into the right words. Or a child who stutters, who knows exactly what they want to say, but aren’t able to get the words out. Either way it is very frustrating for the child, it can lead to teasing, a child to lash out, or become shy and quiet.
“Emotional Regulation is one of the core development capacities that underlines the achievement of social communicative competence for young children”, according to an article in ASHA, “Emotional Regulation: A Critical Development Capacity Underlying Social Communicative Competence”.
Early intervention means precious time won’t be lost during the most critical learning phases. Developing the necessary communication skill necessary for a successful academic future and their personal lives
If you have any questions or concerns about your child, we encourage you to contact Orlando’s First Words Therapy. We take a holistic approach to speech-language-therapy to help your child communicate more effectively.
Our therapists have extensive clinical experience and training, ensuring your child receives the highest level of care.
