How to Get Treatment for a Speech Delay

If your young child is diagnosed with a speech delay, you may have doubts about pursuing treatment. You or someone else you know may have been a "late talker." Many times these people want to allay your fears, but you are better off listening to medical professionals when deciding what is best for your child. Early intervention is essential for many young children to achieve age-appropriate language development by kindergarten.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Look at your family history to assess if others might have had a speech delay and how that impacted their success in school. An untreated speech delay can impact a child's ability to read at the expected level and develop peer relationships.
2. Evaluate the cost of speech therapy. Many insurance companies do not cover treatment for speech delays and your child may need treatment at least once a week. This can end up costing a lot over the years.
3. Reduce the cost of speech therapy with group sessions, if available. Receiving treatment in a small group of other children with a similar delay is beneficial for learning conversation skills and costs less.
4. Contact the speech therapist at your local elementary school. Children who are 3 or 4 years old can receive speech therapy at no cost. If this is a once a week group session, you may need to get additional treatment through private therapy for a severe delay.
5. Research government-funded programs for developmental delays. Most states provide speech therapy for children under the age of 3. This service may be free or at a reduced cost. Many times you can arrange for the speech therapist to come to your home.
6. Determine if your child has an expressive delay, receptive delay or both. An expressive delay affects the child's ability to speak. A receptive delay relates to comprehension. Most children have an expressive delay and can understand much more than they can express.

Tips & Warnings

• Rule out hearing problems with a formal hearing test. Frequent ear infections can affect hearing.
• Review published speech and language milestones if you have not had your child evaluated for a speech delay. If you suspect your child is at risk, begin taking detailed notes of your child's vocabulary and sounds and contact your pediatrician.
• Don't let people without a medical background convince you a child under age 3 is too young for speech therapy.
• A speech delay may be an indication of other developmental disorders, such as autism.

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