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We often hear mums saying, “When will my child start talking?”, “Why is my child’s voice so different? “Others don’t seem to understand what my child says! “. Events like arrival of a new baby, relocation, parent’s divorce, change of care giver or a speech & language delay/disorders may affect the speech and language development of a child. Research suggests that children need an environment rich in sound, sight and words in the first three years of their life to acquire good speech and language skills.

Speech disorder affects the spoken language whereas language disorder affects the understanding of language (receptive language disorder) or the formulation of an utterance (saying what one intends to say, expressive language disorder) or both. If both disabilities are impaired together the disorder is called developmental language delay in toddlers and pre-schoolers. The first signs of this disorder normally appear in preschool before the start of formal schooling.

If your child’s speech or language is a cause of concern, one may consult a counsellor who works with pre-school children. The counsellor assesses the child to evaluate whether the issue can be resolved through therapy or needs the attention of professionals like a speech-language therapist (SLT) or a developmental psychologist. The counsellor drafts a referral letter updating them on the case.

If the child is referred to an SLT, they perform various speech and language tests to evaluate the issues and work on them with the child. The counsellor refers a child to the psychologist only if they suspect certain development disabilities. He too performs certain tests and provides recommendation of the various supports (OT, SLT, educational etc.) needed their frequencies and durations. A hearing test is mostly included in the evaluation by both professionals as hearing problem affects the speech and language development.

The counsellor evaluates the child’s overall progress at regular intervals. They look out for emotional, physical, behavioural and social issues which tend to arise because of the difficulty in communicating and understanding of the language. It’s crucial for parents to understand the disorder for early identification and prevention efforts. Equally important is the information about the possible consequences of the disorder in future.

Body and Soul now has on board, Ms Vinti Mittal, counsellor who specialises in working with pre-school children. Call on +65 6779 0660 to make an appointment with her.

Vinti Mittal – Child Counsellor