Guiding Your Child’s Communication Journey
As a parent, you eagerly await your child’s first words, celebrating every coo, babble, and eventually, every sentence. But what happens when their communication doesn’t seem to follow the typical path? It’s natural to feel concerned and wonder if your child needs extra support. Understanding key developmental milestones is the first step in identifying potential speech and language delays. For families in Eagle and across the Treasure Valley, knowing when to seek professional guidance can make all the difference in a child’s confidence and development.
Key Speech and Language Milestones
While every child develops at their own pace, there are general milestones that can serve as a helpful guide. Here’s a simplified breakdown of what to expect at different ages.
| Age | What They Should Be Able to Do |
|---|---|
| By 12 Months | Responds to their name, babbles with a variety of sounds (“bababa,” “mamama”), uses gestures like waving, and says one or two words like “mama” or “dada.” |
| By 18 Months | Follows simple one-step directions, points to familiar objects or body parts when asked, and has a vocabulary of several single words. |
| By 2 Years | Puts two words together to form simple phrases (“more juice”), has a vocabulary of 50+ words, and can be understood by familiar listeners at least 50% of the time. |
| By 3 Years | Uses three-word sentences, can be understood by most listeners, and can answer simple “who,” “what,” and “where” questions. |
Signs It Might Be Time for a Speech Therapy Evaluation
Beyond missing milestones, certain patterns can indicate an underlying issue. If you notice any of the following, it may be beneficial to consult with a speech-language pathologist:
- Difficulty with Feeding: Challenges with chewing, swallowing, or managing different food textures can be linked to the same oral motor muscles used for speech. This can be especially true for infants struggling with latching during breastfeeding, a service we specialize in with our lactation support.
- Limited Sound Variety: Your child primarily uses vowels and has a very limited repertoire of consonant sounds.
- Frustration When Communicating: Your child becomes noticeably distressed, gives up, or resorts to tantrums when they are unable to express their needs or wants verbally.
- Unclear Speech (Poor Intelligibility): As a child gets older, their speech should become easier for unfamiliar listeners to understand. Persistent unclear speech may signal an articulation or phonological disorder.
- Mouth Breathing: Chronic open-mouth posture can impact tongue position and facial muscle development, which are critical for clear speech. Our comprehensive airway evaluations are designed to identify these underlying issues.
A Holistic Approach: Connecting Speech to Overall Function
Effective speech therapy goes beyond just practicing sounds. At the Center for Orofacial Myology, we understand that speech is intricately connected to the entire oral-facial structure and its functions. This is why we integrate orofacial myofunctional therapy into our approach. We look at the root cause of the speech difficulty, which could be related to:
Improper Tongue Posture
The tongue should rest against the roof of the mouth. A low-resting tongue can lead to articulation errors, like a lisp.
Tethered Oral Tissues (Tongue-Tie)
A restricted tongue, or ankyloglossia, can limit the range of motion needed to produce certain sounds. Our specialists perform gentle infant tongue-tie releases to enhance oral function from the very beginning.
Muscle Weakness
Weak oral muscles can affect not only speech clarity but also feeding and swallowing. Our targeted feeding therapy addresses these challenges directly.
By assessing the entire system—breathing, chewing, swallowing, and speaking—our expert team can create a comprehensive treatment plan that addresses the foundational issues, leading to more effective and lasting results.
Did You Know?
The way a child breathes directly impacts their facial development and speech patterns. Nasal breathing is optimal because it allows the tongue to rest in its proper place on the palate, which helps shape the jaw and create enough space for teeth, promoting clearer speech.
Supporting Your Child’s Speech at Home
While professional therapy is essential for addressing delays, your role at home is just as important. Here are a few ways you can encourage language development:
- Read Together Daily: Point to pictures, ask questions, and let your child turn the pages. This builds vocabulary and early literacy skills.
- Talk Throughout the Day: Narrate your actions as you cook, clean, or drive. The more language your child hears, the more they will absorb.
- Model, Don’t Correct: If your child says, “Me go car,” respond with, “Yes, we are going in the car!” This models the correct grammar without discouraging them.
- Get Face-to-Face: Get down on your child’s level when you play and talk. This lets them see how you form sounds and words with your mouth.
- Limit Screen Time: Interactive play and conversation are far more effective for language learning than passive screen time.
Expert Pediatric Speech Therapy in Eagle, Idaho
For families in Eagle, Meridian, and across the Treasure Valley, the Center for Orofacial Myology offers compassionate, integrated care. We understand that your child’s well-being is your top priority. Our collaborative approach ensures that we don’t just treat the symptoms—we address the root cause to help your child thrive. If you have concerns about your child’s speech, language, or feeding development, we are here to provide answers and a clear path forward.
Take the First Step Today
You don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. A consultation with one of our specialists can provide clarity and peace of mind. Schedule an evaluation to understand your child’s unique needs and discover how our integrated therapies can help them communicate with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a speech therapy evaluation involve?
An evaluation typically involves a combination of standardized tests, informal observation, and a detailed discussion with you about your child’s developmental history and your concerns. We assess articulation, language comprehension, expression, and the oral-motor structures to get a complete picture of your child’s abilities.
How long will my child need speech therapy?
The duration of therapy varies greatly depending on the child’s specific needs, the complexity of the disorder, and consistency of attendance. Early intervention often leads to better and faster progress. We will work with you to set clear, achievable goals and regularly update you on your child’s progress.
Why is orofacial myology important for speech?
Orofacial myology focuses on retraining the muscles of the mouth and face to function correctly. If a child has weak oral muscles, incorrect tongue posture, or breathes through their mouth, it can directly cause or contribute to speech sound errors. By addressing these foundational issues, we create a stable base for clearer speech to develop.
Glossary of Terms
- Articulation
- The physical process of producing speech sounds. An articulation disorder involves difficulty making sounds correctly (e.g., substituting “w” for “r”).
- Ankyloglossia (Tongue-Tie)
- A condition present at birth that restricts the tongue’s range of motion due to an unusually short, thick, or tight band of tissue (lingual frenulum) tethering the tongue to the floor of the mouth.
- Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD)
- A disorder involving abnormal patterns of the facial and mouth muscles that interfere with normal growth, development, or function. This can affect breathing, swallowing, and speech.