Communication and nutrition are important to your child’s development and well-being. There are several types of delays or disorders an infant, child or adolescent may have that require the help of a speech pathologist, including problems with:
Feeding or swallowing
Also called dysphagia, these disorders might affect an infant’s ability to suck as needed for breast or bottle feeding, or have difficulty performing oral movements needed for chewing and swallowing safely or may have trouble tolerating different tastes and textures which lead to picky eating. Speech pathologists with special skills can help diagnose and manage these problems so that your child can get proper nutrition.
Articulation
Your child might not be able to produce sounds correctly so that others understand. A speech pathologist can work with your child on articulation of difficult sounds.
Fluency
The speech pathologist helps a child who stutters, stops, or spends a long time on certain sounds when speaking.
Voice
Also called resonance, this is an unusual pitch or quality to your child’s voice that a pathologist can help your child or adolescent learn to control.
Language
Some children also need help with language skills, such as use of words or composing sentences. For example, some children understand much more of what they hear and have fewer words. Other children have difficulties understanding language and exhibit difficulty following directions, completing tasks due poor understanding. Your child could benefit from speech therapy to improve his spoken vocabulary, grammar and use and understanding of language.
