Myths, Misconceptions, & Seeking Help for Your Child

One of the biggest reasons I started ChitChat Therapies is to help dispel the myths and misconceptions around speech, language, and feeding development. Here’s one bit of misinformation that I hear a lot: by 2 years old, a child should have about 50 words. The truth is that a 24-month-old with “average” language skills has between 200-300 words. That’s a huge difference!

Another misconception is that children with speech, language, and feeding delays “grow out” of them. Yes, sometimes kids truly are late talkers and begin talking more as they get a little older. However, there are many parents who are told “wait and see” by their well-meaning friends, family, and even pediatricians. The parents then “wait and see” and are often frustrated and heartbroken when their children do not make progress without intervention.

If you are concerned about your child’s skills, I urge you to listen to your gut. It also doesn’t hurt to do a little informed reading, and/or contact a certified speech-language therapist. Here’s a short list of resources to help get you started:

-This handbook by Linguisystems has GREAT information about where children’s communication and feeding skills should be at, based on their age. (Note: much of the information in here is more geared toward SLPs. For parents of younger kids, the “vocabulary” and “answering questions” sections are very helpful and can be found on pages 18-19). Every child is different and develops at their own pace, but it’s good to remember that these skills are based on what the average child does at certain ages.

-If you live in Colorado, contact your school district’s Child Find department. Child Find assesses your child’s skills in all developmental areas for free. If your child qualifies for services, a therapist will come to your home and provide services for free until your child’s 3rd birthday. If your child presents with a moderate or mild delay and doesn’t qualify for services—but you still want therapy—you can look into private practices, such as ChitChat Therapies.

-Finally, ChitChat Therapies offers free consultations by phone and email. Even if your child is on the waitlist for a Child Find evaluation or ends up receiving therapy elsewhere, we are happy to answer any questions or concerns. (We understand that waiting is tough!) If you choose to work with ChitChat Therapies, we will travel to your home, private school, and/or daycare in Candelas, Arvada, Golden, Westminster, and Boulder. We also offer telepractice, or online speech therapy, for all of Colorado.