How to Deal With a Speech Delayed Child

Many parents of toddlers complain they never get a moment of silence, but if your child is speech delayed, you might be jealous of the nonstop chatter. It can be frustrating and frightening when your child doesn't hit language milestones when the parenting books say he should, but a speech delay is often overcome with early intervention. Here's how to deal with a speech delayed child.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Talk to your pediatrician. If you're worried that your baby or toddler isn't speaking normally, make an appointment as soon as you're concerned. While many speech therapists won't diagnose a speech delay until after the child's second birthday, a pediatrician can let you know whether to wait things out or if there are other reasons to be concerned.
2. Have your child's hearing evaluated. Any hearing impairment might be the cause of the speech delay, even just a build up of fluid in the ear from frequent ear infections can affect speech.
3. Talk to your state's early intervention department to see if your child qualifies for state-sponsored speech therapy. Even if her speech delay isn't severe enough to receive assistance, the free evaluation will help you figure out how best to proceed with treatment or if none will be necessary.
4. Make an appointment with a speech therapist who specializes in children if the pediatrician and early intervention expert do not allay your concerns or suggest speech therapy. A speech therapist can tell you specifically what kind of delay your child has and will develop a treatment plan that usually includes group or one on one speech therapy.
5. Take comfort in knowing that many late talkers grow up to be extremely intelligent, or at the very least, conversing at the same level as their peers. Early intervention can address more serious causes of speech delays like autism and learning disorders.