Is Speech Therapy Needed?
Recommendation for a Speech and Language evaluation is not solely based on these characteristics and there may be other factors not listed below.
​Feeding and Swallowing:
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Keep food in their cheeks when eating
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Weak oral muscles
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Excessive drooling
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They push their tongue forward past their teeth creating a "tongue thrust" when speaking or eating
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Overbite or Underbite
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Difficulty with taking a bottle
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Difficulty consuming meals or fatigue when eating
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Difficulty closing lips around straw, spoon, or when chewing
Medical conditions:
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Cleft Palate
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Cleft Lip
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Down's Syndrome
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Autism
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Cerebral Palsy
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Hearing Loss/Deaf
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Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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respiratory issues
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Vocal Nodules or Polyps
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Apraxia of Speech
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Dysarthria
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Learning Disability
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Selective Mutism
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Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
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tracheostomy
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Muscular Dystrophy
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Vocal fold paralysis
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Premature birth
Language and Hearing:​
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Chronic ear infections
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Not babbling
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Not responding to name
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Little to no eye contact
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Not responding to loud noises
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Does not watch things as they move
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Increased frustration when they are not understood
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Not speaking as well as other children their age
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Do not put words together
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Less than 50 words at 2 years of age
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Do not follow simple directions at 1 to 2 years of age
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Does not play with other children
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Difficulty with early reading and writing skills
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Has difficulty comprehending humor or common sayings/phrases (idioms)
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Does not pick up on social rules
Speech and Voice:​​​
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They are hard to understand when they speak
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Increased frustration when they are not understood
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Stutter when speaking
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Presents with "slurred" or "mumbled" speech
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Speaks with a lisp
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Difficulty verbalizing specific sounds
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Drops the ends of words or chops multi-syllabic words
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Strained or hoarse voice