Speech therapy for children: how, what and when? † kek mama

We answer the most important questions.

Understand, understand or speak

Children are preparing themselves for the use of language from birth: at around nine months they start with natural gestures and sounds and a few months later they say their first words. They learn the basics until they are seven years old, but sometimes you notice that during that time (compared to peers) problems arise with understanding, understanding or speaking. Hearing loss for example. Or hoarseness, stuttering and lisping. For all these matters, the school doctor, general practitioner or ENT specialist can refer you to a speech therapist.

When do you ring the bell?

When it comes to speech and language, some children develop faster than others. In general, a child of four uses good, short sentences. At the age of five they make good, long sentences and (almost) everything is intelligible. There can be a number of reasons why it takes longer. Sometimes it comes naturally, sometimes you need help from a speech therapist. For example, if your child has a hoarse voice for more than six weeks, it is good to ring the bell. Even if your child changes three vowels, replaces them with different speech sounds or says ‘toel’ instead of ‘chair’, it is good to talk to a speech therapist. This also applies to impaired hearing or difficulty swallowing.

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What does a speech therapist do?

He or she helps with speech, language and voice problems and uses special techniques and methods for this. First of all, we look at what the problem is. A treatment plan is then drawn up, but that of course differs per child. For example, they get exercises to learn how to make sound, how to tell a good story and how to understand it. Or they learn to use tongue, jaw and facial muscles properly. Is the problem with the position of the teeth? To the ears? Or something else that can only be treated medically? Then the speech therapist will mainly give you and your child tips on how to deal with this. You can then go to a medical professional for the treatment.

games

During the session, the speech therapist uses games such as Playmobil, pawns, dice or the memory card game to ensure that children start talking. For the little ones, for example, sound is made with a hammer. The speech therapist chooses the method that best suits your child and his speech or language problem, so that he can treat it as well as possible. At the end you will be given exercises to take home.

Source: LCR

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