Your child’s speech development is vital for their ability to communicate, make friends, and participate in school. If your child is struggling with fluency, our caring speech-language pathologists are here to help. Keep reading to find out what fluency is, why it is important, and how it can be improved with pediatric speech therapy.
What Is Fluency?
Fluency is the ability to speak smoothly and continuously at a reasonable speed. It is a matter of efficiency because speakers who are not fluent tend to be harder to follow along with due to repeated pauses when speaking. Fluency means that your child is comfortable using language to express their ideas freely.
Common Signs of Delayed Speech Fluency
There are several common signs of delayed or disordered speech fluency, including:
- Repeating words in a sentence, e.g. “Who-who-who is that?”
- Repeating syllables in a word, e.g. “I d-d-don’t know.”
- Pausing repeatedly between words or sentences
- Using a lot of filler words like “um,” “uh,” etc
- Speaking at different rates of speed even in the same sentence
- Producing a sound for longer than needed, e.g. “I sssssaw a dog.”
- Being shy, introverted, or unwilling to speak
- Getting upset at having to speak
How Delayed Speech Fluency Can Impact a Child’s Growth
Children can struggle with fluency due to a variety of conditions such as speech delay, stuttering, or cluttering. This can make it difficult to participate in school, make new friends, or even learn important language skills. Over time, children with fluency delays can develop unhealthy coping strategies and behavioral patterns. It can also lead to low self-esteem and negative thoughts about self.
How Can Speech Therapy Improve My Child’s Fluency Skills?
Our pediatric speech-language pathologists have experience and training in how to build a child’s fluency skills. We use proven therapeutic exercises, techniques, and activities to help children master speech for successful communication. We can also give you tips and activities you can do at home with your child to help them continue working on their fluency skills between therapy sessions. With our one-on-one treatment and your support, we can work together to help your child speak confidently.
Benefits of Pediatric Speech Therapy for Fluency
If your child is struggling with articulating their sounds, speech therapy can give them the tools they need for successful speech. This can lead to other incredible benefits such as:
- Fewer tantrums from being misunderstood
- Better ability to make friends
- Stronger communication skills
- Improved academic performance
- Better language comprehension
- Increased self-esteem
Schedule Your Child’s Evaluation
Pediatric Therapy Partners has clinics in Bossier and Shreveport, LA, to meet your family’s needs. All you have to do is call us at (318) 746-1199 or fill out the contact form below and our Intake Coordinator will help you schedule your child’s speech therapy evaluation.
