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Free Guide: Does my child need speech therapy?

Early Intervention, Education & Tuition, School Readiness, Special Needs, Speech Pathology

Not sure if your child aged 0-6 needs to see a speech therapist or not?

This free checklist, from the paediatric speech pathologists at Kids First Children’s Services in Brookvale, is an excellent resource for parents and teachers. Get it below… and if you need more information, please call us on (02) 9938 5419.

Age	Refer to a speech therapist if your child…
12 months	Does not respond to own name Uses little or no babble, single words or gestures Displays little or no understanding of single words or language in context Shows no evidence of early symbolic play e.g. peek-a-boo, using everyday objects in play and relating to self Has little interaction with adults (either verbal or non-verbal)
18 months	Makes limited attempts to communicate needs by any means (words, gestures, vocalisations) Is not developing single words or jargon Does not understand everyday words unless supported by context/gesture Shows little or no evidence of symbolic play. (At this age, children should be relating objects together e.g. brushing mummy’s hair and making a cup of tea)
24 months	Has poor or fleeting attention Uses single words but only vowel sounds or a very limited range of consonants Uses few or no words Has no understanding of simple commands/single words (with no cues) Shows little or no evidence of symbolic play. (At this age, children should be playing with small and miniature objects and relating them together.) Is not interested in sharing attention with familiar adults
30 months	Only plays fleetingly with toys Speaks in a way that is unintelligible to familiar adults Still only uses single words, no two word combinations developing Pits words into the wrong order when using longer phrases Only understands single words Only interacts with familiar adults on their own terms
36 months	Has poor attention and listening Speaks in a way that is unintelligible to familiar adults Cannot pronounce ‘t’, ‘d’, ‘k’ or ‘g’ correctly Shows no evidence of a developing ability to pronounce ‘s’ and ‘f’ sounds Regularly omits sounds at the beginning or end of words Does not join more than 2 words together and/or little progress made Puts words in incorrect order when using longer phrases Is still heavily dependent on context and/or gesture when understanding speech Does not understand early concepts such as ‘big’/‘little’ Has limited understanding of emotions
48 months	Uses incorrect grammar in sentences Struggles to find the right word Regularly gives incorrect responses to questions Regularly omits or uses incorrect sounds (does not use sh, ch or j)
5 years +	Pronounces speech sounds incorrectly Is unable to explain events so the listener has a clear idea of what happened Displays poor social interaction with peers Cannot maintain meaningful conversation on a range of topics Is often confused when instructions are given individually or to the whole class