SLP Facts!
Last week I
had the privilege of speaking about my wonderful job to a captivating audience
made up of preschool teachers and daycare staff members. I presented
information on the disorders Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) target, why
early intervention is so important and of course, the Dolly Parton Imagination
Library! There are many people who are aware that SLPs work with children who
have difficulty producing a specific sound. However, our scope of practice
encompasses much more than that! We provide assessment and treatment for
individuals ranging from infants through geriatrics in a variety of settings. We
offer services for those whose speech, language, cognition, fluency, hearing, voice
or swallowing abilities are affected.
While
sharing this information in detail, I gave examples of specific developmental
milestones adults should listen for. Because I primarily work with little ones,
I wanted to share a few simple, yet valuable facts with you:
® The sounds that children typically
first develop are /p, m, h, n, w/.
Children should be able to produce these sounds correctly in all positions in
conversation by the age of three.
® A one year old child should be using vocabulary up to 6 words (other than
mama and dada) and by the age of two, their expressive vocabulary drastically
increases to 200-300 words.
® Children should be using 2-3 word utterances at two years old,
communicating their wants and needs purposefully and more independently.
® By age three years old, your child
should be consistently using the pronouns
your, she, he, we, my, me, I and it
correctly in conversation.
® At four years old, we should be able
to understand at least 75% of their
speech.
References: Lanza, J.R., & Flahive, L. K. (2008). Guide to Communication Milestones. East
Moline, IL: LinguiSystems, Inc.
Another
piece of information that is critical to a child’s development is literacy. Children
develop literacy skills long before they are able to read (just as we develop
language skills before we begin speaking). This is why the Dolly Parton
Imagination Library is such a priceless tool families can use to facilitate
growth and development.
The point of
sharing a few specific facts is this. There are certain “red flags” that
children can present where professionals can identify but may be overlooked by
others; therefore, I would strongly encourage you to always ask questions. Speech,
language and communication are the foundation to learning. Early
signs of difficulties in these abilities are a very significant predictor of
later literacy difficulties. Asking a professional about your concerns is extremely important because
the earlier you address your child’s weakness the sooner progress can be made!
Happy first few
weeks of school!
Ashley Voigt
