Nice speech therapy facts!

Did you know...

* Children with language delays or language problems have more difficulty in reading and math especially in preschool and elementary school? They may also suffer from behavioral problems.

* Speech therapists not only treat language and speech disorders, but also work with children who have difficulty chewing and swallowing and have voice complaints such as hoarseness.

* Language development disorder is a neurocognitive developmental disorder: language is not processed as well in the brain.

* Language development disorder can go hand in hand with autism, an overall developmental delay, an information processing problem, an auditory processing problem, or a hearing problem.

* Language development disorder occurs in approximately 5 to 7% of children?!

* Language development disorder is present in 2 children in every class?!

* Language development disorder is more common in boys than girls.

* Language development disorder can often cause difficulties in learning to read and write.

* Language development disorder often never looks the same: the symptoms can be different!

* Did you know that slurring is often associated with abnormal oral behaviors, such as thumbing or mouth breathing?

* Did you know that slurring can affect the position of the teeth?

* Did you know that the speech therapist also works with the dentist?

* Did you know that slurring can be treated at all ages?

* In language development, the /L/ and the /J/ come earlier than the /R/, and they are both related to the /R/ so children simply replace the /R/ with an /L/ or /J/. And that's a normal occurrence until the age of 5.

But why is the /R/ so difficult for many young children...?

It has to do with the articulation method. There are two ways to pronounce a /R/:

- The uvula R is made in the throat,

- The rolling R with the tongue tip behind the front teeth on the "bump."