Does My Child Need a Speech Therapist?

 

My child is out of control.

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Children tend to act out when things are difficult for them as a way to avoid the task. When your child’s behavior seems out of control they may be struggling with expressive language skills or emotional regulation skills.

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My child won't eat. 

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If your child is avoiding certain textures, food groups, food temperatures or colors they may have a feeding aversion or lack the oral motor skills to consume these foods safely.

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My child is mean. 

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When a child is struggling with language, literacy, social skills or has low self-esteem in regards to their abilities they tend to be mean to other children so these children don’t notice their faults. 

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My child is always sick. 

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When your child is always sick their nervous system may be compromised impacting their immunity and ability to fight of illnesses as well as their peers. While a speech therapist doesn’t directly treat these conditions, they may be able to direct you to the proper practitioner to help your child. 

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My child is struggling to learn.

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Every child learns differently. Your child may be a visual, auditory or tactile learner. Your child might need a multisensory approach to learn new concepts. Your child is smart they just have not reached their potential yet, and may need to be taught differently or need more individualized attention.

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My child is shy. 

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Your child may need help with social skills or struggle with anxiety or expressive language skills. When given the necessary language skills to succeed their confidence will increase and they will be more likely to engage with others.

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My child can’t stop coughing. 

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Your child may be having an allergic response to something they are eating that is pro inflammatory such as dairy, soy or gluten. If your child coughs while consuming food or liquid it may be going down the wrong way and they are trying to clear their airway. If your child frequently coughs during mealtime, has a runny nose, watery eyes or has a wet gurgly voice after eating please contact a speech-language pathologist as your child may have difficulty swallowing food safely.

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My child can’t sleep. 

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Children with anxiety, restless leg syndrome, neurodevelopmental disorders, stress or certain medications may lead to difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early.

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My child can’t focus. 

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Your child may have difficulty concentrating if they do not understand  the material or what is being asked. Your child may not be challenged enough, lack motivation, or be distracted by external stimuli. Your child may even learn differently and have a mismatched learning style. They could also have anxiety about school or grades, or  have learning difficulties associated with ADD, CAPD or even Dyslexia. 

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My child can’t sit still.  

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If your child has difficulty sitting still, focusing or seems disorganized it maybe due to poor nutrition, lack of sleep, hearing or vision problems or even ADD. Your child may be under challenged, have a learning disability or language disorder. Your child may also be struggling with anxiety.

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My child can’t read. 

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Your child may be struggling with letter-sound correspondences, decoding, vocabulary, reading fluency, or reading comprehension. Your child may have vision, visual processing, attention or memory problems. 

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My child can’t talk. 

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Your child may have apraxia of speech, a phonological disorder, an articulation disorder or have significant oral motor deficits.

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My child doesn’t smile. 

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Your child may have oral motor deficits impacting them from smiling, be depressed or lack exposure to appropriate facial expressions due to lack of eye contact.

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My child can’t  speak properly

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Your child may have an articulation disorder, phonological disorder, apraxia of speech, or oral motor deficits and should be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist.

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If any of the above statements pertains your child, we recommend an immediate screening and/ or evaluation of your child. Problems such as these, if neglected may lead to further developmental issues into their adulthood.

Please contact our Boca Raton Speech Therapy office to schedule your child.

 

Click Here to schedule.