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Building Bridges: How Speech Therapy Supports Communication Disorders

Speech Therapy Aug20th 2024

Speech Therapy for Communication Disorders Could be the Key to Helping Your Child Thrive!

Has your child been diagnosed with a communication disorder, such as stuttering or childhood apraxia? Are you concerned that they may struggle to communicate as they get older? At Mark Their Words Therapy Services, we understand your worry, so we offer speech therapy for communication disorders!

Learning to communicate is an integral part of your child’s development. From those first gurgles and gestures to complete sentences, your child spends the first five years learning to speak and understand language.

But what does it mean if your child doesn’t hit an expected communication milestone? It could be a sign of an underlying communication disorder, either in and of itself or alongside other behavioral or emotional conditions, such as autism or ADHD. Either way, you’ll want to address it, as these disorders can cause issues regarding school and making friends.

The Mark Their Words Therapy Services pediatric speech therapists can help you better understand these missed communication milestones and determine whether or not a specific communication disorder is the cause. And regardless of the reason for your child’s communication difficulties, dedicated speech therapy can unlock your child’s potential to communicate.

Curious to learn more about speech therapy for communication disorders? Keep reading, or schedule an appointment at our Clarksville clinic for an initial assessment!

How Do I Know If My Child Has a Communication Disorder?

No one is born knowing how to speak. Instead, they learn from the people around them. Whenever you ask your child a question, tell them a story, or sing them a song, you’re helping them learn how to communicate. As your child grows, they’ll hit certain speech and language milestones:

  • At one year old, they can use sounds or gestures to communicate.
  • At two years old, they can begin speaking in words and simple sentences.
  • At three years old, they have words for almost everything and can ask more complex questions. (This is the “Why?” stage.)
  • At four years old, they can speak for longer periods and will be understandable to strangers.
  • At five years old, they can speak clearly, tell short stories, and engage in conversation.

It’s important to remember that these milestones are guidelines, and an individual child might meet them a little earlier or a little later than their peers. However, if your child has significant issues, it could be a sign that you need to have them evaluated by one of our speech therapists. Here are a few things to watch out for as your child gets older:

  • Your child doesn’t know which words to use or struggles to put words together coherently.
  • Your child knows what words mean but struggles to express them.
  • Your child struggles to form word sounds correctly.
  • Your child’s words or sentences lack fluidity or flow.

In some cases, difficulty with communication can indicate hearing difficulties. In other cases, it could be a problem with communication itself. Our staff can let you know for sure.

Common Communication Disorders That Speech Therapy Can Help Treat

Several communication disorders are common in children, all with different causes and symptoms. We can help you understand which, if any, apply to your child.

  • Stuttering: This is the most common childhood communication disorder, affecting around 3 million Americans. A stutter involves repeating words or sounds (“I w-w-want a cookie.”) Many children will exhibit a stutter when they’re young, although they’ll eventually outgrow it, especially with the help of early intervention speech therapy.
  • Childhood Apraxia and Dysarthria: Apraxia occurs when your child knows what they want to say, but their brain doesn’t send the proper messages to their lips and mouth. Dysarthria is similar but occurs when your child physically can not move their lips or mouth.
    As a result, they may say words differently each time they speak, use shorter words, or talk very little. Unfortunately, these conditions have no cure, and children will not outgrow them–but speech therapy can help your child improve their ability to speak and communicate.
  • Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMDs): These conditions affect the normal growth of the bones and muscles in the face, leading to issues with speaking, eating, breathing, or swallowing. It can have any number of causes and often requires a multidisciplinary team to treat. A speech therapist can help not only with communication difficulties but also with eating and swallowing difficulties.
  • Language Disorders: Sometimes, a child struggles with language itself–either understanding it (receptive language) or using it (expressive language). Depending on the nature of their disorder, your child might struggle to follow directions, ask or answer questions, or maintain a conversation.

Regardless of whether your child has one of these disorders or another, speech therapy for communication disorders will provide them with the tools they need to communicate effectively.

How Speech Therapy Treats Communication Disorders

Speech therapy with Mark Their Words Therapy Services is crucial in helping your child manage or (in some cases) overcome a communication disorder. Our experts will work with you at every step, from assessment and diagnosis to regular speech therapy sessions.

We always begin with a comprehensive assessment to help us better understand the exact nature of your child’s condition. As you can see from the overview of common communication disorders, they vary wildly regarding causes, communication effects, and ease of treatment. A detailed evaluation helps us understand exactly what your child needs.

Once we’ve assessed your child, we’ll create a customized treatment program based on their needs. It might include any of the following:

  • Mouth, lip, and tongue exercises
  • Exercises to improve speech fluency or to better distinguish between different sounds.
  • Alternative communication strategies, such as communication boards
  • Information about ways you and other loved ones can better communicate with your child and/or help them practice their speech at home
  • Opportunities to practice speaking with adults and other children

We strive to make speech therapy as fun as possible for your child. Our assessments are generally observation-based so that they don’t feel like a test, and we use toys, games, and a sense of play when working through a child’s treatment plan.

Schedule An Appointment for An Assessment Today!

If you’re at all concerned your child might have a communication disorder, request an assessment with Mark Their Words Therapy Services today. The sooner you begin treating your child, the better their outcomes will be.

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