Dear G.K.,

 

Pediatricians' expertise is in medicine, so they sometimes give parents the wrong advice where speech and language development is concerned. I have had countless families come to me much later than they should have because their pediatrician counseled them incorrectly.

 

If there is a problem that requires intervention, a delay in beginning therapy can lead to a more difficult and longer remediation process than may have been if intervention began sooner.

 

It's best to check with an expert, in this case a speech-language pathologist, as early as possible if you suspect a possible problem.

 

Fifteen month-olds, boys or girls, should say about five different words and jargon fairly often. Jargon is babble-like speech that seems to have sentence-like intonation patterns reminiscent of adult sentences.

 

Families can get free speech and language evaluations through Early Intervention Centers for children birth to three years and through the local school districts for children and young adults ages three to 21 years.

 

Families can also go to speech-language pathologists in private practice. Some practitioners take insurance. Those that don't will provide you with the paperwork you need to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement.

 

You can find more information on the website of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) at www.asha.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Georgia,

 

You are correct, the advantages to speaking multiple languages is incredible. Research shows that, aside from the very familiar social advantages, being multilingual also has cognitive advantages.

 

Your daughter will not get confused. We are wired to learn multiple languages. I have worked for over 15 years with bilingual language-impaired children and even they have the capacity to learn a foreign language.

 

You are also correct that the earlier you start a second language, the better. Children are born with an ability to discern meaningful sounds in all languages. As they hear the language of their environment, they attune their ears (so to speak) to the sounds in that language and lose the ability to hear differences in languages to which they are not exposed. This is partly why adults often speak a foreign language with an accent. While some accents are appealing, a heavy accent can interfere with effective communication.

 

I would recommend starting as soon as you can.

 

Best,

Dr. T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear S.A.,

 

While there a many sound substitutions that are perfectly normal and expected as children learn to speak a lisp is NOT one of them. Children, generally will not grow out of lisp without correction.

 

The longer you wait to have a speech pattern corrected, the harder it will be to correct. I have had many frustrated adults in my private practice who struggle greatly trying to change this atypical pattern that should have been addressed when they were young children.

 

When we talk, we want people to listen to what we say, not how we are saying it. A lisp can be distracting to listeners and undermine an otherwise good message.

 

I would recommend consulting with a speech-language pathologist to get the lisp corrected as soon as you can. Children often do very well in therapy.

 

 

Good luck,

Dr. Teresa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear M.B.,

 

No, you are not starting too soon. Like any adult ability, there are prerequisite skills children must develop before they start reading. Many of these abilities may not resemble what we think of in terms of conventional reading skills. For example, simply having the motor skills to hold a book or turn a page are critical pre-reading skills. Children also need to do basic cognitive tasks like matching like items before they can start to scan and perceive letters and words.

 

Provide your daughter with a wide variety of cognitive, motor and sensory experiences. This will get her on the path to loving reading.

 

This is a good plan no matter what a child's age. As children grow older, make sure they have books that are age appropriate and cover a wide variety of topics. Children love re-reading books they enjoy. This is great and helps them learn information on new levels each time.

 

You might also do interactive activities connected to the themes in the books your child reads. If your child loves a book about farm animals do activities like visiting a petting a zoo or doing art tasks with farm animal themes.

 

Best,

Dr. Teresa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear L.H.,

 

Signing is great to do with infants. Learning to speak is the most complicated skill we will ever learn to do. Our cognitive and thinking processes develop faster than the fine motor speech skills we need to express ourselves. Before children are able to control their articulators sufficiently to produce words, they are able to control the grosser movements of their arms and hands. Children can easily learn signs to express wants and needs. They can be more effective communicators which will likely minimize breakdowns in communication and frustration. Research suggests that alternative forms of communication, like signing, can facilitate not inhibit verbal speech.

 

I think it is a great idea.

 

 

Best,

Dr. T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear M.B.,

 

Sippy cups can be very convenient to avoid messes, especially when traveling and to help make the transition from bottle to cup drinking if used for a short while. Ideally, however, you should avoid them.

 

Sippy cups displace proper tongue placement and can negatively impact dentition. These can lead to articulation problems that require therapy to correct.

 

A better alternative to sippy cups, is a straw. Use cups that have lids with straws to help with messes. I also suggest that parents pour little amounts of juice and milk at a time to avoid messes. This also provides an opportunity for your child to request for "more" which can facilitate language practice as well.

 

Good luck,

Doctor Teresa