We believe your time spent on our site should teach you something new and helpful. To that end, we've curated a list of important questions and answers every parent should read when considering speech therapy for their child. We'll ocassionally add to and update this list.

• When should I get a referral from my child's pediatrician for speech therapy?
  Here are some common articulation and language milestones to help you decide:
• Between ages 1 and 2, your child should be able to:
  • Use 10-20 words
  • Combine two words such as "Bye mommy"
  • Use words such as "more" to tell needs
  • Point to body parts such as eyes, nose, and toes
  • Bring objects from another room when asked
  
  Between ages 2 & 3, your child should be able to:
  • Identify major body parts
  • Be able to ask,"What is that?, and "Where is my ___?
  • Have a 450-word vocabulary and combines words to form 2-3 word phrases with various nouns and verbs such as "Doggy go" and "Me want chips"
  • Use an "s" at the end of words to show plurality
  • Use the pronoun "me"
  • Understand concepts of time such as "tomorrow" or "last night"
  • Answer where questions
  • Name common pictures of things
  • Understand size concepts such as little and big
  
  Between ages 3 and 4, your child should be able to:
  • Use sentences that are 4-5 words
  • Have a 1000-word vocabulary
  • Understand time concepts such as yesterday, Winter time, breakfast time, tonight
  • Know last name and the name of street
  • Tell a story
  • Follow directions like "put the bear on the chair"
  
  • Between ages 4 and 5, your child should be able to:
  • Have a 1500-word vocabulary and be able to use them in 4-5 words sentences
  • Use past tense correctly "ed" such as jumped
  • Ask many questions beginning with "Who" and "Why"
  • Understand time concepts such as "at night" and "next"
  • Identify 3 shapes and 4 colors
  
  Between ages 5 and 6, your child should be able to:
  • Have a 2000-word vocabulary and be able to use them in 5-6 words sentences
  • Define a word by its use and the purpose of objects (What is a knife? You cut food with a knife)
  • Understand spatial concepts such as top, in front, near and far
  • Know address
  • Understand same and different
  • Count 10 objects
  • Know common objects like same and different
  • Ask questions for information
  • Know common opposites
  • Use many different sentence patterns with various categories of words such as nouns, verbs, pronouns, proper nouns and adjectives
  
  Source: PRO-ED Inc.
• When should I get a referral to see a Developmental Pediatrician or Pediatric Neurologist/Psychologist to possibly identify Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
• People with Autism are likely to have challenges with communication, social skills and behavior control/managing their emotions, repetitive behaviors and restrictive interests and affect. Sometimes these symptoms are not noticed until school age but early intervention is important so testing should be done when several of the symptoms below are identified in the child so a team of specialists can begin therapy. The therapy team includes some or all of the following: Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapists, Nutritionists, Audiologists, Medical Pediatrician and Neurologists, Psychologists and Special Educators
  
  A good rule to know is that all people with autism have communication and social difficulties. But not all people with communication and social challenges have Autism
  
  Children with Autism may have difficulty with:
  • Understanding gestures
  • Understanding and using words
  • Having a conversation with someone
  • Following Directions
  • Learning to read and write
  
  A person with Autism may show the following symptoms:
  • Begins to lose words initially learned
  • Repeat words or phrases (echolalia)
  • Uses robotic speaking voices
  • Talks very little or not at all
  • Uses challenging behaviors vs words
  • Focus on the same object or event
  • Join in play with others/share toys
  • Understand how others feel
  • Take turns in play or conversation
  • Repeat hand and body movements
  • Cry/laugh/get angry for unknown reasons
  • Has difficulty transitioning to a new activity
  • Gets upset at certain sounds, smells or textures
  • Likes only a few foods based on look or textures
  • Shows interests in only a few objects or topics
  
  Source: ASHA article Autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder)