\n\nHAYS, Kan. \u00ad\u2013 With speech and language disorders ranking among the most common disabilities in children, Fort Hays State University\u2019s Herndon Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic encourages parents to learn the signs of trouble for May\u2019s Better Hearing and Speech Month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
FHSU\u2019s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders encourages parents and caregivers to learn the signs and seek an evaluation if they have concerns about their child\u2019s ability to communicate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDevelopment of strong communication skills is extremely important, and parents anxiously await their child\u2019s first words,\u201d says an information bulletin from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYet, common misconceptions remain. One is that children generally \u2018grow out\u2019 of speech or language difficulties, but unfortunately this mistaken impression too often delays treatment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speech and language disorders are evaluated and treated by speech-language pathologists. Speech is the ability to produce speech sounds using the mouth, lips and tongue, while language is the ability to use and put words together, and to understand others\u2019 words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Difficulties in speech may include the child saying sounds the wrong way, repeating sounds and words, or is difficult to understand. Difficulties in language may include difficulty understanding questions, following directions or naming objects. Early speech and language treatment sets a child up for future school and social success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood communication skills are critical, helping with behavior, learning, reading, social skills and friendships,\u201d says the ASHA bulletin. \u201cIt is much easier, more effective, and less costly to treat speech and language disorders early, and May is a great time to educate parents on this important point.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warning signs to watch for in young children, as suggested by the Herndon Clinic: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 Does not babble (4 to 7 months).
\u00b7 Makes only a few sounds or gestures, like pointing (7 to 12 months).
\u00b7 Does not understand what others say (7 months to 2 years).
\u00b7 Says only a few words (12 to 18 months).
\u00b7 Says p, b, m, h and w incorrectly in words (1 to 2 years).
\u00b7 Words are not easily understood (18 months to 2 years).
\u00b7 Does not put words together to make sentences (1.5 to 3 years).
\u00b7 Says k, g, f, t, d and n incorrectly in words (2 to 3 years).
\u00b7 Produces speech that is unclear, even to familiar people (2 to 3 years).
\u00b7 Repeating first sounds of words, like \u201cb-b-b-ball\u201d for \u201cball\u201d (any age).
\u00b7 Stretching out sounds such as \u201cffffffarm\u201d for \u201cfarm\u201d (any age). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warning signs in school-aged children:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 Has trouble following directions. Tips for parents from the Herndon Clinic to encourage a child\u2019s communication development: <\/p>\n\n\n\n For young children:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00b7 Talk, read and play with your child. \u00b7 Have your child retell stories and talk about their day. \u201cAlthough treatment ideally begins early \u2013 in the toddler years \u2013 it is never too late to get treatment,\u201d said Breanna Taylor, assistant clinical coordinator of the Herndon Clinic and an instructor in the CSD Department. \u201cThe large majority of parents report significant improvement after treatment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information, visit http:\/\/IdentifytheSigns.org<\/a> and www.asha.org\/public<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To schedule an assessment, contact FHSU\u2019s Herndon Clinic at 785-628-5366 or email infoslp@fhsu.edu. HAYS, Kan. \u00ad\u2013 With speech and language disorders ranking among the most common disabilities in children, Fort Hays State University\u2019s Herndon Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic encourages parents… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11722],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45699,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45698\/revisions\/45699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u00b7 Has problems reading and writing.
\u00b7 Does not always understand what others say.
\u00b7 Is not understood by others.
\u00b7 Has trouble talking about thoughts or feelings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 Listen and respond to what your child says.
\u00b7 Talk with your child in the language that you are most comfortable using.
\u00b7 Teach your child to speak another language, if you speak one.
\u00b7 Talk about what you do and what your child does during the day.
\u00b7 Use a lot of different words with your child.
\u00b7 Use longer sentences as your child gets older.
\u00b7 Have your child play with other children.
For elementary-aged children:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 Talk with your child about what you do during the day. Give them directions to follow.
\u00b7 Talk about how things are the same and how things are different.
\u00b7 Give your child chances to write.
\u00b7 Read every day. Find books or magazines that interest your child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"