It’s the start of the year, and if you’re like me, you are trying to get all your appointments on your new calendar. With it being the beginning of a new year, this is a also a great time to think about if you should start off 2023 with a speech and language evaluation.
Why would I need one?
This is a good question! Speech therapy is primarily associated with treating speech sound disorders in children, but the truth is that we do so much more than just work on sound articulation. Some of the issues that can be addressed within speech therapy are as follows:
- Following directions
- Answering questions
- Speaking with an appropriate volume and rate
- Expressing yourself clearly by using the appropriate words and organizing these words easily into sentences that others understand
- Following social norms well enough to make friends and interact with others easily in conversation and in a variety of settings
- Understanding and using early reading skills, such as rhyming and identifying parts of words
- Organizing your schedule into manageable tasks and completing them in a timely fashion
- Following routines each day to complete tasks (such as chores, studying, completing projects, etc.)
- Learning to implement skills to compensate for auditory processing difficulties (such as, distinguishing between your friend’s voice and the music in a noisy restaurant)
- Recalling multiple pieces of information (such as steps for directions) to complete daily tasks easily and to complete school assignments
Did you know that speech therapists also treat feeding and swallowing disorders? So, if you feel that you or someone in your family is struggling to eat a variety of textures, get adequate nutrition from food intake, or eat without choking, you may be a good candidate for an evaluation with a speech therapist.
What does an evaluation look like?
Usually the therapist will set up a time for you to come in to be assessed. They will collect patient information (related to your concerns, school history, and medical history). Then, they will complete any necessary assessments to diagnose any speech and language deficits and recommend appropriate treatment. Our evaluations usually consist of an informal voice, fluency, and rate evaluation as well. Our therapists will make recommendations after reviewing your test results. This may or may not happen at your evaluation, depending on the time it takes to complete your testing. Here is a typical “set-up” for a speech and language evaluation for a child:
- Collect patient history information (10 minutes)
- Take a conversational speech sample in play with the child (5 minutes)
- Complete articulation and language testing (40-60 minutes)
- Discuss results with the parent (10 minutes)
What if I decide I am not ready to start therapy after the evaluation is completed?
This is okay, and completely understandable! We are therapists, but we do understand how hectic life can be, and sometimes, you need to find the best options for your family and busy daily schedule. Once recommendations have been made, you are free to use your results as you’d like, including sharing these with other providers. We will help you determine what the best “next steps” will be, and it is your choice to make decisions based on these recommendations.
Norms for Typical Development
It can be difficult to find reliable speech and language norm charts for you to determine if your child is behind his or her peers in development. Below are two links to descriptive charts for receptive and expressive language development that give detailed information on what is expected of children at each stage of language development.
https://www.ldonline.org/ld-topics/speech-language/speech-and-language-milestone-chart
Below are two links to charts that give ages for typical speech sound development.
https://mommyspeechtherapy.com/wp-content/downloads/forms/sound_development_chart.pdf
If you decide that you may be in need of an evaluation after reviewing these charts or the list of skills above, please reach out to us for an evaluation. We will be happy to get you scheduled!
Brooke Sorrells, M.S., CCC-SLP; Speech Language Pathologist and Owner of More Than Words Speech Therapy