Thursday, September 09, 2010 |
When to Seek Help
Families should arrange an assessment for their child if they have concerns regarding their child’s speech and language development or if they have a child who may have any of the following:
- doesn’t meet speech and language milestones
- rarely makes eye contact with others
- avoids being with others
- has repeated ear infections
- doesn’t respond to sounds
- has a rough, raspy voice or a voice that sounds like too much air is coming out of the nose
- has difficulty eating or swallowing food
- has difficulty following directions
- acts frustrated when trying to communicate
- stutters
- is difficult to understand
SoundStart can be accessed when a parent, physician, nurse, teacher, or CAS worker etc. calls in a referral. Appointments will be booked soon after receipt of the referral. SoundStart drop-ins serve as a place where families can "meet" a Speech-Language Pathologist for general discussion regarding communication development. Should there be a concern, it is recommended that children be scheduled for a speech-language assessment.
SoundStart accepts referrals until March 31st of the year a child becomes eligible to attend Senior Kindergarten. Children beyond this age should be referred for school-based services through their teacher.
