In-Home Speech-Language Therapy Programs across Ontario and the GTA.
At Speech & Company, we assess and provide speech therapy sessions and parent training to children of all ages.
Many of our clients are as young as 12 months of age, as early intervention is important for optimal success. A Speech-Language Pathologist can help by assessing your child to determine if his/her speech and language skills are age appropriate, providing play based intervention, parent strategies and resources.
Each session is tailored to YOUR child’s strengths, needs and interests and carried out in a fun, and motivating way.
Does my child need speech therapy?
“When should my child say his/her first words?” “Is this typical for his/her age?” - These are common questions Speech-Language Pathologists (Speech Therapists) receive from parents of young children.
The following is a list of some communication skills by age.
A referral to a Speech-Language Pathologist is recommended if any of the milestones are not being met.
- At 18 months, does your child:
- Use at least 15 words?
- Identify some body parts?
- Ask simple questions such as “What’s that?”
- Pretend to feed a doll?
- Recognize pictures when named?
- Respond to routine questions such as “where is the dog?”
- Follow simple one-step instructions such as, “give me the ball”?
- At 2 years of age, does your child:
- Use at least 50 words?
- Combine words in two-word phrases (e.g. “daddy come”, “more juice”)?
- Point to the correct picture when asked?
- Follow two-step instructions such as, “go upstairs and bring me your doll”?
- At 3 years of age, does your child:
- Use at least 500 words?
- Combine words into three-word phrases (e.g. “ball fall down”, “car go fast”)?
- Understand concepts such as big/little, in/on/under?
- Ask why questions?
- Are people outside of the family able to understand your child?
- Plays in groups with other children?
- Understand simple questions such as “Who?”, “What?”, “Where?”, and “Why?”
- At 4 years of age, does your child:
- Use 1000-1500 words? Combine words into 4-6 word sentences?
- Follow three or more step instructions such as, “First get some paper, then draw a picture, and last give it to mom”?
- Ask a lot of questions?
- Categorize objects (e.g. toy horse is an animal, shirt is clothing, banana is food)?
- Play and take turns with others?
- Tell stories with a beginning and an end?
- Match some letters with the sounds they represent (e.g. letter “s” says “sssss”)?
- At 5 years of age, does your child:
- Use complete sentences (5-6 words) that are grammatically correct?
- Use pronouns: he/she, him/her, they/them, I?
- Communicate wants and needs to adults and peers?
- Tell simple jokes?
- Complete 3-step directions (e.g. “Get your flashlight, turn it off, and give it to mommy.”)?
- Understand and defines words like; soft/hard, long/short, top/bottom?
- Understand various concepts (e.g. big/little, long/short, up/down, in/out, front/back, over/under, top/bottom, between, hot/cold, empty/full, more/less, fast/slow?
- Recognize familiar signs (e.g., stop signs)?
- List/describe objects by what they do (e.g., all things you cut with), lists/describes objects by features (e.g. all things with wheels)?
- Pay attention and stay on task for a 10-15 minute activity?
- Talk about things in the past; uses past, present and future verb tenses?
- Can be understood by strangers most of the time but may still have errors with ‘r’ and ‘th’ sounds?
- Answer reasoning questions such as; “What do you do when you are cold?”
- Look at pictures, tells a story by naming and describing?
- Describe recent events and stories in the correct order or sequence?
- Also recommended for any of the following:
- Voice is continuously hoarse.
- Sounds and/or words are repeated often.
- Your child acts frustrated when trying to talk.
- Play or social skills seem inappropriate.
- Literacy skills are behind grade/age.
- Your child is more difficult to understand compared to children his/her age.
