Unfortunately in our society there tends to be a “wait and see” approach to a child exhibiting communicative difficulties. First time parents, and even parents with multiple children, rely on doctors, family members, and hearsay when it comes to their little one.
When a parent raises a concern about their child’s ability to understand or speak, often they are told not to worry , to give “it” time. There may be a family history of “late talkers,” who turned out “just fine.” The family doctor says the child’s height and weight are fine so “not to worry”. Parents are often told that if the child is still having problems when they get to be school aged, then a communication evaluation is warranted.
Are grandmothers, mothers, and doctors wrong? In a nutshell, yes. Can I blame them, no. From a historical perspective, the incidence of speech, language, and global communicative delays, including autism, cerebral palsy, and apraxia was much lower than it is today. Whether the increase in numbers is due to more accurate diagnosis or an increase in developmental disabilities is the topic of another article. Family members speak from the heart and doctors have more than enough to evaluate when it comes to the general health of a child. The bottom line is a doctor’s responsibility is for the health of the child. It is the role of an SLP to determine whether a child is on track developmentally from a communication standpoint.
From birth there are milestones that are acheived by typically developing children within an age range. As SLP’s we know that by 3 months a baby will seek out the eye contact of an adult and will cry to get attention. By 6 months we expect differing cries for different situations, imitation of facial expressions, reaching for objects, and the banging of toys.
We know what a child should be doing from birth until …well, death. We have norms that apply from day one. When a child is not meeting said milestones, it is a red flag. The sooner we can begin treatment to move the child as far as they can go along the developmental path, the better.
Early Intervention is essential in young children exhibiting delays. We know the norms from birth. The earlier we can begin treatment, the more likely the child is to move along a typical developmental sequence. With certain populations, particularly children with Downs Syndrome, early intervention is crucial.
Research has proven the plasticity of the young brain. Therapy has proven to increase communicative skills.
