“My daughter is unable to express her speech clearly. What should I do?”

You should take her for an evaluation of this issue. If you live near a college or university that offers a master's degree in speech/language pathology, that would be the best place. Otherwise, your local board of education can arrange a qualified professional to evaluate your daughter. Most likely there is nothing to worry about and time will take care of it. However, an evaluation should be performed just in case remediation is needed.

I recommend that you find a speech language pathologist in your area that you can take her to see. By age 3, a child should be using at least 3 words in a sentence, answering simple question, and able to express her wants and needs clearly. Early intervention is best from beginning learners.

Hello! If her speech is unclear and it appears she is having difficulty with coordination, I will advise you to contact her primary care physician and request a referral for a speech and language evaluation. In the mean time, continue to be patient with her and continue to encourage her to communicate. You have reached out for advice, that is the first step. Keep being an awesome advocate for your child! :)

You can model some functional phrases for her and have her imitate them such as “I want a ....” “I have....” use those phrases frequently and give her little reminders to use them as well. There are many ways to help her, but I would need to know specifically why she is having trouble. It would probably benefit you and her to have a speech evaluation by a certified speech pathologist.

I would recommend having your daughter be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). SLP's are trained in evaluating speech and language tips and can provide your daughter with skilled intervention and provide you tips to use at home to help.

I would move forward with a speech assessment through your local school district. Both the assessment and treatment are free of charge if she qualifies.

Good morning,

I would advise having her examined by her pediatrician and sharing this concern with the doctor. It appears she would benefit from a comprehensive speech and language evaluation.

Amy Bland, MS/CCC-SLP

I recommend you request a speech and language evaluation. Your pediatrician can refer you for an evaluation. Starting early is the best!

Seeking a speech-language evaluation will help assess your daughters expressive language and decipher if there is a motor speech deficit or an articulation/phonological impairment, etc. Early intervention is key!

I strongly suggest you contact your daughters pediatrician and express your concerns. She might be able to qualify for a comprehensive speech and language evaluation. 3 yrs old is a crucial age for language development and acquisition, so my best advice is to get her the help she needs during this age.

I would suggest getting a full evaluation completed by a trained SLP, as well as getting her hearing checked just to be sure she isn’t speaking what she’s hearing. Hope this helps!

Hello. Before I begin my response to your question, please note I am a medical speech language pathologist. We are required to complete a Bachelor's, Master's, 9-month externship, and then apply for certification. While we are trained specialist within the domain of medicine and healthcare, we are not physicians. I am not a doctor. Now....

I would recommend you take her to a speech clinic to complete a comprehensive speech and language assessment. Please be prepared to provide detail to the professionals there regarding your concerns. When you say she does not express herself clearly, are you referring to telegraphic speech? Do you mean she has jumbled thoughts and nonsensical statements? When you refer to lack of coordination, are you referring to oral motor movements? Is she groping with her mouth and saying different sounds for the same word when she tries to repeat herself?
To start, you can help by taking her to a speech language pathologist for an assessment. You can encourage her to speak with you and use choices, gestures, drawing, etc., all kinds of ways to communicate to keep her interested in expressing herself. We want her to associate communication with positivity so she does not try to shut down or stop talking. Model statements for her. For example, if she is saying "bird come down sit" and you realize she is talking about her pet parakeet, join her in conversation while expanding the sentence such as "Yes, the bird is sitting. See him perched by his nest?" Engage her in conversation and continue to shape the anatomy of a conversation, taking turns, looking in each others' eyes, smiling...these pragmatic abilities enhance the charisma of a strong communicator. We can still help her communication at home using these techniques while we wait for an evaluation from the SLP.

Hi!

My quick answer is this: when in doubt, have her assessed by an SLP. At the age of 3, she should easily be able to verbally express herself in a manner that is organized and clear, and if she isn’t, the question is, why? The best way to help her is by getting her assessed by an SLP. The earlier you do, the faster her recovery and her rate of learning will be. The longer you wait and the older she gets, the longer her rate of recovery will be. It is great that you are seeing this issue and are asking questions. Now, all you have to do is take the next step and get her evaluated.

I hope that this helped! Have a great day!

Thank you for your email.
I understand, your daughter's hearing is normal and she has problems in expressing her thoughts clearly. This seems a cognitive issue. I would suggest consulting a pediatrician and speech language pathologist.
I hope this information is helpful and you have access to these specialists in your area.

Syed Ahmed

Hi! I appreciate you reaching out to me. I would like to clarify before giving you an answer on what’s going on. Do you mean her sounds are unclear or that she isn’t able to say her words in a correct unstandable sentence? Is she stuttering? Please tell me As much as you can. If you rather talk on the phone, I can do that as well.