Notes from the files
Since 1986, I’ve gained valuable insight into treating common—and not-so-common—communication problems. These case histories are composites based on past patients.
The Non-talking Toddler
The challenge: The parents of a 20-month-old child were concerned because their toddler was not learning new words or using words to communicate.
The approach: We focused on the child’s delayed imitation skills and also worked on improving their oral motor awareness. We used baby signs to keep them communicating while they learned new words and we encouraged body, face, and mouth imitation. We used music, gross motor games, and play to increase imitation and initiation of sounds and words. I taught the parents strategies to continue the work at home.
The results: Early intervention works! This child was ready for preschool at 2 ½. Much happier being able to communicate with new teachers and peers.
The Art of Articulation
The challenge: A first-grader’s pronunciation issues were impacting reading progress.
The approach: I always ask “why?”. Looking for the root cause of an articulation disorder helps guide therapy and increases progress. There are usually several answers- never one thing; ear infections that affected early speech sound development, undiagnosed tongue tie, a tongue thrust, or oral motor weakness. Again, working with parents to get the fastest progress and carryover.
The results: With the sounds corrected, the child is able to hear them, pronounce them, and read them.
The Preschool Stutterer
The challenge: A verbal three-year-old starts stuttering “out of the blue.”
The approach: Stuttering has always been a bit of an enigma in the field of Speech Pathology. However, we’ve learned a lot over the decades and treatment has been fine-tuned, especially in preschoolers. Several factors make up why a child stutters—heredity, language skills, personality, speaking style, and speaking environment. Working with families is crucial to changing some of these factors and increasing fluency.
The results: Again, early intervention works. The sooner you address stutterng, the better the outcome. The majority of the children I treat become fluent talkers.