Sprouting Minds Pediatric Speech Therapy, PLLC

There isn’t one right answer for every child. Daycare or school can provide valuable opportunities for children to practice communication, social interaction, routines, independence, and learning alongside other children. However, choosing not to enroll your child in daycare does not mean they cannot develop these skills. What matters most is that your child has regular opportunities to communicate, play, interact with others, and participate in age-appropriate activities. If you have concerns about your child’s speech, language, social communication, or overall development, you can consult with a pediatric speech-language pathologist even if your child is not attending daycare or school. An evaluation or consultation can help you understand your child’s current strengths and needs and identify ways to support their development at home and in the community.

If you’re barely seeing progress, it’s completely reasonable to wonder whether speech therapy is worth continuing. Speech and language development can take time, and progress is often built through repetition, consistency, and meaningful practice across everyday environments. Collaboration between the SLP, family, teachers, daycare providers, and other professionals can also make a big difference because children benefit when the same strategies are reinforced throughout their day. Rather than simply stopping therapy, it may be helpful to look at whether the current goals, therapy approach, frequency, and level of collaboration are the right fit for your child. A pediatric SLP can reassess your child’s strengths and needs, identify what may be getting in the way of progress, and adjust the therapy plan when needed. Every child develops differently, but consistent support, repeated opportunities to practice, and collaboration across settings can help create more opportunities for meaningful progress.

That is a very common concern. AAC is a skill that has to be taught and practiced. The goal is not for a child to immediately know how to navigate a device independently. An SLP can help determine whether the layout, vocabulary, access method, and device are appropriate for the child and teach both the child and communication partners how to use it. Consistent practice across home, school, and other environments is important.

ASHA states that AAC does not hinder speech development and may support communication, language, and learning. A systematic review of AAC interventions for autistic children found that AAC did not impede speech production, and overall speech production improved, although speech gains were generally modest.

AAC can be used alongside speech, gestures, signs, facial expressions, and other forms of communication. It is often used to supplement speech when a child cannot reliably communicate everything they want to say. ASHA describes AAC as a multimodal approach rather than replacing every other form of communication.

Having some spoken language does not automatically mean AAC isn't appropriate. Some children use speech in certain situations but need AAC when communication demands increase or when they cannot express everything they want to communicate.

When a tablet or device is being used as an AAC system, it is functioning as a communication tool. The child is actively using it to express wants, needs, thoughts, feelings, choices, and ideas. ASHA specifically distinguishes AAC use from recreational screen time.

AAC should be taught, modeled, and practiced. Communication partners also need to learn how to support the child. Research and ASHA guidance emphasize the importance of partner training, modeling, consistency, and opportunities to use AAC across different environments.

The goal of AAC isn't to take away a child's voice. It's to give them more ways to have a voice. Every child deserves a reliable way to communicate—whether through speech, gestures, signs, pictures, a communication board, a speech-generating device, or a combination of these. The right communication system should be individualized to the child's strengths, needs, preferences, and everyday environments.

If you're unsure whether AAC is appropriate for your child, an AAC evaluation with a qualified SLP can help determine what communication options may be a good fit.

A formal ASD diagnosis, or a medical diagnosis, helps you get the support your family needs, especially within the context of accessing medically necessary therapies and services.

• Insurance Coverage for Therapies: Medically necessary therapies for ASD are often covered by insurance including, but not limited to, speech therapy, ABA therapy, and occupational therapy. 
• Financial Support: A diagnosis is required when applying for social security or disability benefits. 
• Plan for Care: A diagnosis helps identify your child’s support needs. For example, your child might need to develop social communication and self-regulation skills.
• Future Research: The more data we gather through evaluations, the more we can improve services for autistic children and adults.

Check out Autism Diagnosis: The Complete Guide for Parents for more information.

1 in 36 children is diagnosed with autism according to the latest reports.

Here are some reasons why:

• Medical professionals understand autism better. More doctors are trained to test for autism and other developmental and language delays.  
• The definition of autism has evolved in recent years which means that an autism diagnosis covers more conditions to help more people get the services they need.

For more information check out Common autism diagnosis questions: Answers from Dr. Melanie Hsu

Yes, but there is room for improvement. We don’t have a single, perfect diagnostic tool for autism and there are a lot of factors that contribute to an accurate diagnosis. There are a few “gold standards” that are used for diagnosis.

The goal of speech therapy is to help your child communicate effectively with other people across all environments. This may take the form of using gestures, simple signs, verbal speech, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

Some other common things speech therapists can help with:

• Nonverbal skills, such as signs or gestures
• Forming speech in a clearer way
• Communicating thoughts and feelings clearly
• Understanding and responding to questions
• Discerning facial expressions and their corresponding emotions
• Noticing and understanding body language
• Feeding and swallowing
• Stuttering

“Early Intervention” might be the provider’s way of describing services that they provide to babies or young children. However, it might also indicate that the provider is a vendor for your state’s publicly funded program. This means the services with this provider might be covered by your state! 

The first step in accessing these free services from your state is to get an evaluation. The evaluation will help the state determine what services your child qualifies for, if any. You can find your state’s local EI program by clicking here.