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What Qualifies a Child for Speech Therapy in Fort Myers?
Speech delays and disorders are the main reason most kids are referred to early intervention therapies (including speech, occupational, ABA & physical therapy by their doctors. But what does that mean? What actually qualifies a child for speech therapy in Fort Myers?
Our FOCUS speech therapy team can shed some insight. We know there can be confusion because there is clear, bright line rule for when early intervention speech therapy is always recommended and when it isn’t. Of course, it’s standard for children with certain medical conditions (Down Syndrome, autism, apraxia of speech, hearing loss, etc.). But sometimes, determinations can be a bit subjective, so it might come down to a persistent parent – something we really encourage because if there is a bigger underlying issue, earlier treatment is associated with better outcomes.
Our early intervention speech therapy in Fort Myers plays a crucial role in supporting communication and development for children whose speech and language skills are not aligning with peers of their same age.
It does no harm to request a doctor referral for an evaluation by a speech therapist. We can conduct a thorough evaluation and give you a detailed professional opinion about whether speech-language intervention would benefit your child.
Keep in mind it can take months from the time you get the referral until your child can actually start receiving speech therapy in Fort Myers. When you get the balling rolling right away, you minimize the amount of time the issue may be snowballing – giving them a greater advantage in catching up to where they need to be communication-wise.
Factors That May Qualify a Child for Speech Therapy
Some of the primary factors that qualify a child for speech therapy in Fort Myers:
Speech & language delays. This is the biggest red flag that speech therapy may be medically necessary. Parents should trust their instincts if they’re concerned their child may be lagging in this area. Pay attention to how they’re producing speech sounds, if they’re using age-appropriate vocabulary and grammar, whether they understand and follow instructions, and if they’re engaging in conversations.
Articulation disorders. This involves trouble with production of speech sounds. Kids with articulation disorders will often substitute, distort, or omit speech sounds they find tricky – and it can make them tough to understand. Whether a child needs speech therapy to correct it will depend on its severity and the extent of its impact to their ability to communicate.
Augmentative & Alternative Communication Now Offered at FOCUS Therapy in Fort Myers
FOCUS Therapy is excited and proud to announce that we now offer Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC). Children who struggle with spoken language can undergo an AAC evaluation by our highly-skilled Fort Myers speech therapy team to determine if AAC will be beneficial, and if so, what form. We also help qualifying patients advocate for insurance coverage of AAC devices.
Those interested or with questions can learn more by visiting our new Augmentative & Alternative Communication web page, Contact Us via email, or submit an Assistive Technology Intake Form.
Benefits of “Center-Based” Fort Myers ABA Therapy
Our Fort Myers ABA therapy is called “center-based,” meaning it’s provided in-clinic. Here, we offer some insight into why we believe it’s the most effective approach.
Have more questions? Contact us for an initial consultation!
Bribery vs. Reinforcement: Understanding the Difference in Fort Myers ABA Therapy
Our Fort Myers ABA therapy providers at FOCUS know that the reinforcement strategies used in our sessions can sometimes be confused for bribery. Here, we break down the key differences – which can help parents understand why one is highly effective and the other is not.
If your struggling with a child displaying challenging behaviors, our ABA therapists offer behavior consulting for families whose child may not qualify for intensive ABA therapy services.
Fort Myers ABA Therapists Provide Behavior Science Strategies for Parents
Our Fort Myers ABA therapists use proven behavior science strategies to address difficult or dangerous behaviors and promote functional and safe behaviors. A big part of our efforts involve parent education. The more these skills are practiced at home and other environments outside the clinic, the faster they are learned/generalized. Check out a few of our common behavior science strategies for parents.
When It’s Time to Seek ABA Therapy in Fort Myers
Considering ABA therapy in Fort Myers for your child? Here, FOCUS Therapy behavior therapists offer insight into when ABA (behavior therapy) is typically recommended. Contact us to schedule an ADOS test or inquire about starting ABA therapy or behavior consulting.
Struggling With Aggressive Child Behavior? Our Fort Myers ABA Therapists Can Help!
Are you struggling with aggressive child behavior like kicking, biting, hitting, etc.? Every kid has moments now and then, but if it’s becoming a real problem and you aren’t sure what to do, our Fort Myers ABA therapists can help.
We are child behavior experts, and use evidence-based strategies and positive reinforcement to help parents address difficult and/or dangerous behaviors. We can do this in intensive ABA therapy, but we understand many parents run into roadblocks with insurance when their child doesn’t have a qualifying diagnosis, such as autism spectrum disorder or down syndrome. That is why we offer behavior consulting.
We can help parents figure out what is causing the underlying behavior issue and then generate a plan of action. Assessments can take place where you are most comfortable – at home or in the clinic. From there, we can follow up as much as needed – in person, over the phone, or through email.
Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation!
Practice These Behavior Therapy Strategies at Home!
Practicing Fort Myers behavior therapy strategies at home helps your child faster generalize the skills they’re learning in ABA therapy. Check out these tips for how to implement some of the approaches our behavior therapists (BCBAs & RBTs) use frequently in our daily sessions at FOCUS.
Fort Myers Speech Therapist Tips for Communicating With Concrete Thinkers
Is your child a “concrete thinker”? Lots of neurodivergent kids are. It means they have a tougher time thinking in the abstract and tend to interpret the world around them in a very literal way. This can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and confusion. Here, check out our tips from a Fort Myers speech therapist on how to better communicate with the concrete thinkers in your life!
Boys Talk Later Than Girls: True or False? Fort Myers Speech Therapist Has Answers
You’re concerned about your son’s speech-language development, but have been urged not to worry because, “Boys talk later than girls.” As a Fort Myers speech therapist, few phrases are quite as grating.
Here’s the thing: It’s true. Boys do tend to start talking a little later than girls. But it’s not by much – and not nearly as dramatically as you might have been led to believe.
Our issue as speech therapists with this oft-repeated saying is that it’s often used to justify putting off justified parental concerns about their child’s speech-language development. They may be convinced that they are overly-worried about nothing, when it’s actually something. (And sometimes, it doesn’t take much convincing because as parents, we’d prefer that there NOT be something to worry about.)
What The Science Says About “Boy Talk”
Kids naturally vary in virtually all aspects of development, and communication is no exception. Gender has been shown to be positively correlated with differences in language development milestones.
In a 1988 study published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, it was established that girls outperform boys in pretty much all linguistic aspects. Girls will generally:
- Understand the words spoken to her before a boy does.
- Begin talking two months earlier than boys.
- Continue building speech at a greater rate through toddlerhood. (16-month-old girls typically speak 100 words or so, while boys will say about 30.)
There are a few reasons for this. Part of it is that boys, on the whole, tend to gravitate toward play that is more physical than communicative. They may be less likely to engage verbally with their peers. If they’re content to play with their ball on their own, their parents may unintentionally engage them with less 1:1 talking than they do their girls. They may also expect less speech and language from their boys. In turn, they may not catch when there really is a delay.
That said, there is still a range that is typical for certain speech and language milestones. Girls just tend to fall earlier on that spectrum where boys tend to be on the end of it.
Rather than rely on this misleading saying, we’d rather parents be proactive if they have concerns about their child’s speech-language development. If you’re tempted to write off your son’s more limited vocabulary because it doesn’t match up to your daughter’s or some of the girls his age, maybe ask the question, “Is my son talking as much as other boys his age?”
What Are the Risks of Boys Being Late Talkers?
All children benefit from having a solid base of communication early in life. Without it, they may be at risk for academic and/or social consequences. There’s always been a strong connection between the communication skills a child acquires early in life and their effectiveness in using language later.
If a child is lagging behind in language development as a toddler, it can lead to a snowball effect that can continue into kindergarten, first grade and beyond. The longer we wait to intervene in a language delay situation, the more they’ll need to catch up on.
No parent should assume that just because their child is a boy that a speech-language delay is “normal.” The reality is that he may require intervention from a Fort Myers speech therapist.
FOCUS offers pediatric speech therapy in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida. Call (239) 313.5049 or Contact Us online.
Additional Resources:
Early Intervention, ASHA
More Blog Entries:
Identifying Speech Delays in 2-Year-Olds, Jan. 5, 2024, Fort Myers Speech Therapist Blog