Health

Children's Speech Disorders

By Dan Collins

January 31, 2002 / 8:40 AM EST / CBS

It is estimated by the time a child hits first grade, one in 10 will have moderate to severe speech disorders including missing sounds and stuttering.

Boys are three times more likely to stutter than girls, but both sexes can suffer shame and isolation if their speech is not corrected by the time they reach school age.

CBS 2's Paul Moniz reports parents can easily access important information about recognizing the warning signs of speech and language disorders.

"They're usually put in a classroom setting with adults and other kids," Julie Berman Ross of Long Island College Hospital says. "They're teased and they may be put in a setting where they don't belong."

Studies show speech and language problems can indeed slow learning--but they are not necessarily an indication of a child's intelligence.

Traditionally, pediatricians have used age 4 as a guideline for intervention. That's because by that age most children can produce nearly all the sounds of the English language.

But pediatricians receive almost no training in speech during medical school -- and although they do learn about it during their residencies -- speech experts believe the guidelines should be changed.

They advocate having your child's speech evaluated at the first sign of trouble.

"Why wait and see?" speech therapist Harla Rozner asks. "Let's bring the child in and we can see where is, whether he's age appropriate or not [and] is this something that's going to clear up on its own or not."

Here's what you should look for:

Your child should be babbling during his first year;
Uttering, "Ma, ma, Da da," at 12 to 15 months;
Speaking about 18 to 20 different words at 18 months and 50 words at age 2, and
If friends and relatives cannot understand your child by age 2, he may need an evaluation.

The good news is help is available. Many hospitals have speech and language departments and insurance generally covers the cost of an evaluation, but not always treatment.

It's important to remember children's hearing can also affect speech. And speech patterns can differ widely.

If you want to learn more about what 'normal' is, you can send away for a free pamphlet put out by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. The name of pamphlet is 'How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?'

Their address is 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 or call (800) 638-TALK.

You can also go to their web site www.asha.org

The number for Long Island College Hospital's department of communication disorders is (718) 780 2378.

Remember, communication disorders can be treated successfully.