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Speech Therapy Milestones Ages 0-4
Concerned your child may have a speech delay? If your child isn’t meeting these key milestones, our Fort Myers speech therapy team can conduct an assessment and recommend your next steps. Talk to your child’s pediatrician for a speech therapy referral.
Fort Myers Occupational Therapy Helps Kids Acquire Life Skills
When parents first learn their child has been referred to Fort Myers occupational therapy raise an eyebrow. After all, what “occupation” does a child have?
The answer is: Many!
But we have to look beyond the traditional definition of “occupation,” which is generally understood to mean a career, vocation, or job. Within the field of occupational therapy, “occupation” is understood to be life activities. These are the tasks involved in doing everything from bathing and dressing to learning and managing complex tasks.
None of us just magically become independent, successful adults. We had to learn it, starting with the very basics of moving, communicating, and taking care of our basic needs. Human children are born with an intrinsic motivation and ability to engage in learning, control, and mastery. Some kids need more 1:1 help than others to catch up to where they need to be developmentally. That’s where our Fort Myers occupational therapy team can intervene.
Pediatric Speech Therapy Service Needs Have Expanded Post-Pandemic
Demand for Southwest Florida pediatric speech therapy services has long been higher than what providers could comfortably accommodate. That’s why so many clinics have ongoing waiting lists. But you’re not imagining it: Those waitlists have gotten longer than ever.
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) reports this is in part because many clinics are catching up on the backlog of waning referrals during the pandemic.
In a recent survey of pediatric speech-language pathologists and audiologists, ASHA found that there has been a sharp uptick in referrals the last 2 year – a time period marked by significant pandemic-related impacts for kids ages 1-5.
Pediatric speech therapy clinics are reporting seeing more:
- Requests for evaluations.
- Behavioral difficulties.
- Social deficits.
- Speech-language struggles.
The poll was conducted among more than 1,000 ASHA members nationally, the majority of whom are reporting backlogs – mainly from kids who weren’t referred to them during the pandemic. Concerns about the virus reduced access to all kinds of medical care and interventions, and that unfortunately includes speech therapy services.
Some clinics, like FOCUS Therapy in Fort Myers, were ahead of the curve in providing online pediatric speech therapy services. That meant we could more seamlessly transition to a continuation of services for existing patients – even if they couldn’t be in the clinic with us.
But still, there were significant delays during that time in getting a physician’s referral for both audiology and speech-pathology evaluations. That meant delays in securing the diagnoses that open the door to early intervention therapy services.
Other pandemic-related factors exacerbated existing developmental delay issues. Specifically:
Identifying Speech Delays in 2-Year-Olds
Every child develops speech and language skills at their own pace. But if you have a nagging feeling your child is lagging on this front, it’s important not to ignore that inkling. Unaddressed speech delays in 2-year-olds can cause compounding social-emotional-academic-communication problems as they get older.
The first step in addressing speech delays in 2-year-olds (or any child) is to identify it. Our Fort Myers speech therapists recommend starting with milestones. Compare your child’s speech-language skills with those that have been identified for the majority of kids in their age range.
A high-quality resource for comparison are the Communication Milestones established by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). These are broken down by age range. For 2-year-olds, we’re going to look at the skillsets identified for kids from 19-24 months and those 2-3 years.
Communication Milestones 19-24 Months
In general, a child who is between the ages of 19 and 24 months should be able to:
- Use and understand a minimum 50+ words. These are mostly things like food, body parts, animals, toys, etc. The speech they use won’t necessarily be clear. For instance, they may say “ba” for “ball” or “du” for “shoe.”
- Put 2+ words together to form more complete ideas. Examples: “Give ball,” “go bye-bye.”
- Follow simple directions with two steps. Something like, “Get the spoon and bring it to me.”
- Correctly use words like “you, mine, and me.”
- Use their words to get help with something.
- Use possessive terms. Example: “My shoe,” “mommy’s cup.”
If your child isn’t reaching these milestones, it may be time to get the ball rolling on intervention services by talking to your child’s pediatrician about your concerns.
Communication Milestones 2-3 Years
A child who is between 2- and 3-years-old should have the ability to:
Fort Myers OT Explains In-Clinic vs. School-Based
If your child has been referred to pediatric occupational therapy services, you may be wondering what’s the point of getting both in-clinic occupational therapy AND school-based occupational therapy. As a Fort Myers OT can explain, these are often similarly-qualified professionals who can help children develop and improve on key life skills. But their focus is slightly different.
Whereas in-clinic occupational therapists can help kids work on any virtually deficit area within our scope of practice, the school-based occupational therapists are going to be aiming to tackle issues that directly impact a student’s access to and success within education.
In-clinic Fort Myers OT services, like those at FOCUS Therapy, are accessible with a doctor’s referral. This is sometimes done in conjunction with a diagnosis like autism, down syndrome, or cerebral palsy. But sometimes it’s merely a global developmental delay.
School-based OT services, on the other hand, are administered with an IEP, or individualized education program, which is guaranteed to students of different needs under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Having a doctor’s referral to OT services isn’t critical in securing school-based services, but it’s certainly weighed in consideration of whether an IEP is appropriate.
A school-based Fort Myers OT is going to aim at assisting with skills like:
- Visual motor and fine motor skills necessary for tasks like typing, writing, and finishing homework.
- Activities of daily living within a school day. These would include things like eating independently at lunchtime, changing into gym clothes, etc.
- Core strengthening necessary to maintain good posture for focusing on and completing school-related activities.
- Executive functioning skills necessary for organization, planning, attention, time management, and coping with changes in a routine.
- Sensory processing skills needed to help a student actively participate throughout a school day.
They’re going to look carefully at enhancing a student’s ability to learn, participate in class, and engage in daily school routines.
Meanwhile, an in-clinic Fort Myers OT at FOCUS Therapy often helps kids work on these same skills, but does so regardless of whether it’s integral to success solely within a school day. We are interested in their success in ALL settings – from the moment they wake to the moment they fall asleep. That can include school-based skills, but also those that have an impact on their daily routines, extracurricular activities, social skills, etc. We address a broader range of conditions and needs.
Clinic-based OTs can also generally start working with kids at a much younger age than those who receive services from a school-based OT. School-based OT services generally aren’t going to start until a child is at least in preschool. In-clinic Fort Myers OT services can sometimes begin in infancy, with a doctor’s referral. This kind of early intervention is critical to helping kids with certain conditions catch up developmentally to their peers. It reduces the skills gap, putting our patients on track to be as successful as possible – not only at school, but in life.
Ultimately, in-school occupational therapy and in-clinic occupational therapy are services that compliment each other. Kids benefit from these supports in both arenas, especially when they start at a young age.
FOCUS offers pediatric speech therapy in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida. Call (239) 313.5049 or Contact Us online.
Additional Resources:
What is Occupational Therapy? American Occupational Therapy Association
More Blog Entries:
Improving Executive Functioning Skills for Kids is Often a Top Therapy Goal, Sept. 30, 2023, FOCUS Therapy Fort Myers OT Blog
FOCUS POCUS Sensory-Friendly Halloween Party is TODAY!!
Celebrate gourd times! FOCUS Therapy’s 4th annual FOCUS POCUS sensory-friendly Halloween Party – complete with costumes, trick-or-treat, games, and fun prizes – is TODAY!
Our therapists are decorating each room of our clinic with a different theme. Join us at our Fort Myers clinic on Royal Gulf Circle from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Patients, siblings, friends, and local community members welcome!
Don’t Miss Our 4th Annual FOCUS POCUS Sensory-Friendly Trick-or-Treat!
Let’s get this party start-led! FOCUS Therapy is hosting its 4th annual FOCUS POCUS event – complete with costumes, trick-or-treat, games, and fun prizes! Our therapists are decorating each room of our clinic with a different theme. Join us for a sensory-friendly trick-or-treat and Halloween party in Fort Myers!
FOCUS POCUS will be 1 week from today, on Thursday, Oct. 26th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at our clinic on Royal Gulf Circle. Patients, siblings, friends, and local community members welcome!
Improving Executive Functioning Skills for Kids is Often a Top Therapy Goal
As our Fort Myers pediatric therapists can explain, improving executive functioning skills for kids is one of the most common goals listed in our patients’ plans of care. That’s because these skills play a crucial role in a child’s overall development and success in various areas of life, including academics, social interactions, and daily functioning.
What Are Executive Functioning Skills for Kids?
Executive functioning refers to a set of cognitive processes that allow individuals to manage their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions to achieve goals. It’s not a single skill. Rather, it’s a set of skills that together allow a person to:
- Focus, pay attention, and remember
- Plan
- Prioritize
- Work toward goals
- Self-regulate behaviors & emotions
- Adapt to new & unexpected circumstances
- Engage in abstract thinking & planning
Executive functions in childhood are inherently a challenge. They start developing in that very first year of life, but they aren’t fully formed until adulthood. They’re meant to be worked at, and they won’t happen overnight or at the same time for every kid.
That said, successfully mastering age-appropriate executive function is often tougher for kids with conditions like autism, down syndrome, language delays, learning disabilities, etc. You’ll notice when they struggle with things like tantrums, impulse control, staying organized at school, remembering instructions, managing their time, etc.
How Speech, OT, and ABA Therapy Can Help
Executive functioning skills for kids aren’t usually developed in a neat, linear progression. Some skills they’ll pick up faster, others will take longer – with variability often dependent on the child’s unique stresses, family stresses, and educational opportunities.
Early intervention therapies like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and occupational therapy can be game-changers in helping kids who struggle with executive functioning to catch up with other kids their age. The sooner we can start, the more malleable a child’s brain – and the greater success we’ll have.
We provide assessments and individualized plans of care, based on the child’s individual abilities and goals. We help families devise structured routines and schedules – which provides a measure of predictability that helps kids develop skills like time management. Therapists are trained to break down tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks that helps kids learn how to master each one individually and sequentially – ultimately improving organization skills. Visual supports like calendars, checklists, and schedules give kids a way to “see” the task and the time allotment. In turn, this helps them stay calm, organized, and efficient. Play-based interventions can improve memory, social skills, and behavior self-regulation as well – all part of executive functioning skills.
If your child is struggling with executive functioning skills, our pediatric therapists at FOCUS Therapy in Fort Myers can help.
Additional Resources:
Executive function in children: Why it matters and how to help, Dec. 16, 2020, By Johanna Calderon, PhD, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School
More Blog Entries:
Why Occupational & Speech Therapists in Fort Myers Teach Kids Inferencing, Aug. 31, 2023, Fort Myers Speech Therapy Blog