| BHP member Kelly (www.babyhomepages.net/lilbabyharris)
requested expert advice on children’s hearing and speech
development. We contacted, Megan Rozantes M.S, one of the country’s
leading experts in Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology. She
is the Director of Chatterboxes (www.teamchatterboxes.com)
and answers Kelly’s question:
When does a parent need to see an expert on a child’s
hearing and speech development?
The early months and years of your baby's life are a critical
period during which the development of strong social &
communication skills, emotional growth and intelligence takes
place. These skills serve as the foundation for which all
other learning will be built upon as they grow older. For
this reason, early intervention is of utmost importance.
According to the American Speech and Hearing Association,
if a child doesn’t talk by age 1, the speech is not
clear or if speech or language is different from that of other
children of the same age, there may be cause for concern.
Parents should be urged to take action as soon as they feel
that their child may be exhibiting signs of a developmental
problem.
In addition, your child’s pediatrician, or other professional
will also most likely recommend a hearing test. Oftentimes
chronic ear infections may lead to hearing loss which in turn
causes the child to miss portions of speech and language signals
and may contribute to a language delay.
The following signs are of behaviors that often occur with
hearing losses:
Click
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