If your child does not show signs of normal speech development or improves their normal age communication skills, you should discuss this with your pediatrician as soon as possible. If you can diagnose the problem early, you can set it up with the help of a qualified and experienced language pathologist.

Undiagnosed and untreated speech disorders can lead to the breakdown of emotional and socially serious communication skills and extend into adulthood. It is said that one out of every seven Australians is fighting a communication disability. It is difficult for more than 500,000 school-age children in Australia to understand and use language effectively, and the number is slightly less than the indication of language delay.

You may have been told that your child may meet with a speech therapist or pathologist. So what did the language pathologist do? The textbook definition describes him or her as someone who has been trained to assess the level of communication impairment and is effectively treated using a variety of proven methods.

Effective communication involves five important aspects: speech, writing, reading, sign language, gestures and symbols. You can say that your child can communicate effectively if the child understands and is understood by others. If your child has any of the following signs of communication difficulties, you may need to consult a language pathologist:

• Unclear and difficult to find the right words

• Do not understand the language, easy to distract

• His voice has problems, sometimes he can’t hear

•I can not hear you

• No interest in reading or writing, nor can you understand written sentences

• Withdrew from the company and was not interested in meeting new people

• Show signs of aggression caused by setbacks

• Need to repeat instructions

Speech pathologists are often associated with child care centers, primary schools, hospitals and nursing homes, universities, rehabilitation and community health centers, metal care organizations, and private clinics. Their expertise extends to the treatment of communication disorders caused by more complex problems such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and autism.

Depending on your child's needs, language pathologists may recommend individual or family meetings, group meetings, and even class meetings. To get a glimpse of whether your child is naturally slow to learn or if there are other serious potential problems, get a timeline chart from your pediatrician explaining the normal developmental levels for different age groups.

The key to getting your child's development back on track is to work closely with language pathologists and pediatricians and make sure that any exercise assigned to your child is done regularly at home. More importantly, remember to be patient with your child and provide him or her with a supportive home full of love and laughter.

Speech Pathologist: Correcting Children's Communication Disorders was originally published on Spring