Speech and language problems can occur at any time in a child’s life. They can be caused by accidental injury, illness or inherited by birth. Child speech and languge problems include:

• Stuttering
• Articulation problems (“wabbit” instead of “rabbit”)
• Language disorders such as the slow development of vocabulary, concepts and grammmar.
• Voice disorders (nasal, breathy or hoarse voice and speech that is too high or low)

Parents who suspect their child has a communication disorder should see an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist (SLP). These professionals help identify, assess and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders.

Fortunately, most children with speech, language and hearing problems can be helped. Even if the problem cannot be eliminated, we can teach the child strategies to help cope with their communication disorders, or provide them with the appropriate technology. By promoting Better Hearing and Speech Month, we hope parents will learn about communication disorders, what they can do to help their children, and how SLPs and audiologists can help with their child’s communication disorders.

Meanwhile, hearing loss, like speech and language problems, can have a negative impact on a child’s social and academic development. Communication disorders, like hearing loss in children, can occur at birth or as a child grows older due to chronic ear infections or exposure to noise. The earlier hearing loss occurs in a child’s life, the more serious the effects have on the child’s development.

Typical signs of a hearing loss in children include:

• Inconsistently responding to sound
• Delayed language and speech development
• Unclear speech
• Sound is turned up on electronic equipment (radio, TV, cd player, etc.)
• Does not follow directions
• Often says “Huh?”
• Does not respond when called
• Frequently misunderstands what is said and wants things repeated

As a first step, people who think their child is displaying many of these warning signs and think they may have hearing loss should see a certified audiologist. These professionals specialize in preventing, identifying, assessing and treating hearing disorders. Also, they provide treatment for hearing loss including fitting hearing aids and other assistive listening devices, and they can teach children with hearing loss how to concentrate on hearing all sounds.

ASHA recommends that children at risk for hearing loss, such as those who suffer from chronic ear infections or in cases where there is a family history of hearing loss, be screened by a chertified audiologist as frequently as needed to ensure they are hearing well. Otherwise, for children ages 5-18, hearing screenings should occur on inital entry into school and annually in kindergarten through 3rd grade as weell as in the 7th and 11th grades.

Parents who think their children may have a speech, language or hearing disorder or know of a loved one who has a communication disorder may contact Miracle Kids Success Academy at 870-932-3600 (Jonesboro) or 870-793-3200 (Batesville) or access ProSearch at http://www.asha.org/findpro/ to find an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist in their area.

Wikipedia defines autism as a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.  Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child’s life. The signs usually develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop more normally and then regress. Early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children with autism gain self-care, social and communication skills.

According to the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 88 children in the United States are being diagnosed with autism, nearly doubling the prevalence since the CDC started tracking these numbers. At 1 in 88, we now have over 1 million children directly affected by autism. According to Mark Roithmayr, President of Autism Speaks, autism can now officially be declared an epidemic in the United States.

Dr. Peter Bearman of Columbia University says that the increase in prevalence is only partly explained by a broadening of the diagnosis, improved detection and more awareness. A large portion of the increase still remains unexplained. Americans need to aggressively work together to fund research. You can help by spreading awareness about autism.

For information about autism in the Jonesboro area, visit the Autism Association of Northeast Arkansas website at www.aanea.org.

Occupational therapists who work with children are knowledgeable about stages of development and the appropriate milestones in a child’s physical, mental and behavioral development.

A child with delayed development may not show behaviors and abilities that are typical of the child’s age. A child may have difficulty swallowing, sucking and chewing; achieving independence in feeding, dressing and using the bathroom; understanding relationships between people, objects, time and space; and developing problem-solving and coping strategies.

What can an occupational therapist do?

• Evaluate the child’s level of performance in critical developmental areas.
• Observe the child’s home and school environment and determine how it may be modified to promote better development.
• Develop a plan of treatment in coordination with other health care professionals who are treating the child
• Develop age-appropriate self-care routines and habits, play skills and social skills.
• Recommend adaptive equipment to facilitate the development of age-appropriate abilities.

The curriculum features 30 toddler topics in eight focus areas.  Each toddler topic is introduced with children’s books. Experiences within the toddler topics are based on the Arkansas Framework for Infant and Toddler Care Developmental Strands (self-concept, emotional, social, language, physical and cognitive) and address each of the Benchmarks. And, Adventures for Toddlers serves as a companion piece to Adventures in Learning – the curriculum used at MKSA for children from 3 to 5.

To learn more about the Adventures for Toddlers curriculum, visit http://www.arkansas.gov/childcare/advfortoddlers/index.html.

To learn more about the Adventures in Learning curriculum, visit http://www.arkansas.gov/childcare/adventures/alqa.html.