Developmental language disorders

• By 12 months: Little to no vocalizing, lack of pointing, or not responding to their name.
• By 18 months: Limited attempts to communicate, no imitation of sounds or words.
• By 2 years: Difficulty understanding simple instructions or not combining two words (e.g., _”mama up”_).
• By 3 years: Struggles with abstract words (e.g., _under, red, three, after_) or doesn’t form short sentences.
• By 4 years: Difficulty holding conversations or using only short, error-filled sentences.
• By 5 years: Trouble telling stories or expressing thoughts clearly, immature language skills when compared to peers.

Speech sound disorders

• Limited babbling or sound production in early development.
• Parents struggle to understand their child’s speech.
• Others (extended family, peers, educators) have difficulty understanding the child.
• Frequent sound transformations in speech or lisps.
• The child becomes frustrated or upset due to communication difficulties.

Orofacial myofunctional disorders:

• Mouth breathing or snoring in the absence of nasal congestion.
• Poor positioning of the tongue for speech, breathing or swallowing.
• Articulation difficulties due to dental misalignment

Feeding/swallowing

• Struggles with transitioning to purees or solid foods.
• Coughs, chokes, or gags frequently while eating or drinking.
• Shows signs of food or liquid going down the wrong way (e.g., wet voice, frequent respiratory infections, frequent maneuvers necessary to dislodge food).
• Has difficulty chewing or moving food in the mouth effectively.
• Experiences food or liquid coming up through the nose.

Resonance disorders

• Child was born with a cleft lip and/or palate and requires speech therapy.
• Has nasal-sounding speech or noticeable airflow through the nose while speaking
• Struggles to blow air through the mouth or experiences food/liquid reflux through the nose.
• Appears to “force” air through the nose when producing sounds.
• Experiences changes in speech after surgery (e.g., tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy) or as part of normal growth.