Niki Lorraine Loy

Yes! That is a large part of a Pediatric Speech Therapists job, is working with children who are late talkers. If shes two and not yet talking, I would recommend that she be evaluated by a Speech Therapist as soon as possible. :)

Yes! An adult can absolutely see a Speech Language Pathologist! Speech Language Pathologists are trained to work with individuals ranging from birth to geriatrics. :)

They are one and the same! The more formal term for our job title is Speech Language Pathologist" but we are often referred to as simply Speech Therapists as well. No need to be concerned. :)

Hello! Yes, absolutely hearing loss can impact speech! That is why deaf/Deaf individuals cannot speak, or at least, if they try, it will not come out sounding like a hearing persons speech would. I would recommend that she see an Audiologist to get a hearing test to determine what type of hearing assistive technology she may benefit from and if her speech sounds slurred getting a speech therapy evaluation could be beneficial as well. I hope that helps!

In short, there are likely several things that can be done, depending on what exactly is happening. Some people who speak very quickly are experiencing whats called cluttering. And even if that is not the case, there are other things that can be done to help you naturally speaking more slowly. If its a concern, I would definitely recommend getting an evaluation by a Speech Therapist. :)

If your 16 month old is not yet talking, oftentimes between 15-18 months kiddos will begin using words. You’re always welcome to take your child in for a language evaluation with a Speech Therapist, but you can also wait a few more months and see if your child begins speaking by then. If by 18 months there has been no change or very little change, I would definitely recommend you go see a Speech Therapist. :)

If your daughter is 6, oftentimes a Speech Therapist would not target her r’s until she is 7 or 8 years old. But, the w sound she should be pronouncing by now. If you have concerns about any other sounds besides her r’s, I would recommend that she be taken to a Speech Therapist for an evaluation. That way, she can get the help she needs, rather than waiting and hoping things will clear up on their own. She also could get testing done through her school if there is a Speech Therapist at her school, so that’s something to look into as well!

Thank you for reaching out and I hope you are able to see this reply! If you’re feeling that stuttering is holding you back for whatever reason(s), I would absolutely encourage you to get speech therapy! I do want you to know that there is no cure for stuttering currently and we do not know exactly what causes stuttering yet. But, speech therapists (especially those specifically trained in “fluency”) can help by teaching you various strategies that can allow for smoother speech. It will involve you quite a bit in the process and often it requires your awareness and active participation while in and out of speech therapy. But it can be very helpful for many people. :)

Gosh to be honest with you, that is a loaded question! There can be so many different things that can be involved when a child has a language delay or disorder. But the best advice I can give at this time, would absolutely be to get your child evaluated by a Speech Therapist! Oftentimes delayed speech/language can cause various other issues as well and by 4 years old a child should definitely be using a lot of different words, word combinations and sentences. Nothing to be extremely alarmed about, as it is very common, but it is something that definitely should be addressed now!