How do I know if my child could benefit from therapy?

Parents often ask us if their child may need speech-language, feeding, oral myofunctional, or occupational therapy. The following are some* of the reasons a child could benefit from speech-language services.

If your child:

  • Can only be understood by (certain) family members

  • Isn’t imitating actions or sounds

  • Has trouble producing certain sounds

  • Is a “late talker”

  • Has a hard time expressing or verbalizing wants and needs

  • Has difficulty following directions

  • Trouble making or keeping friends

  • Struggles with sounds/words get “stuck” or repeated often

  • Grows frustrated when unable to be understood

  • Has a chronic “raspy”/hoarse voice, or has vocal nodules

  • Has difficulty with reading or writing

  • Prefers to play independently or does not play with age-appropriate toys as expected

The following are some* of the reasons a child could benefit from feeding services.

If your child:

  • Experiences frequent coughing or choking with eating or drinking

  • Has difficulty with breast or bottle feeding

  • Is not eating enough or has trouble with weight gain

  • Never seems hungry or interested in food/eating

  • Demonstrates significant picky eating

  • Has a limited food repertoire or eliminates foods from diet that were previously preferred

  • Has aversions to different textures/smells/temperatures 

  • Eliminates or will not eat entire food groups (i.e. no meats, no vegetables)

  • Is having trouble transitioning to solids from purees

  • Gags or vomits with foods (at sight/smell, while eating, etc.)

  • Demonstrates anxiety or fear around trying new or non-preferred foods

  • Shows frequent and/or disruptive mealtime refusals

  • Relies on feeding tube and/or caloric supplementation to meet fluid/calorie needs

The following are some* of the reasons your child could benefit from oral myofunctional therapy.

If your child:

  • Utilizes open mouth chewing or difficulty chewing

  • Has consistent mouth breathing or open mouth posture

  • Demonstrates picky eating (limited food inventory, avoiding certain food textures or temperatures)

  • Snoring

  • Loud/audible breathing

  • Experiences other sleep disturbances or sleep-disordered breathing

  • Has excessive migraines or headaches

  • Demonstrates excessive drooling

  • Uses his/her fingers to “swipe” food inside the mouth

  • Has recurring ear infections

  • Has resting tongue position between or against teeth instead of against the palate

  • Demonstrates teeth clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding)

  • Experiences orthodontic relapse (teeth shifting after orthodontic intervention)

  • Has issues with overbite, underbite, open bite or other dental problems

  • Experiences TMJ dysfunction

  • Has undesirable oral habits (thumb/finger sucking, lip/fingernail biting, biting/sucking on clothing)

  • Experiences halitosis (unpleasant breath)

  • Demonstrates certain articulation errors (such as: /l, t, d, n, k, g, s, sh, ch, r/)

  • Has attention difficulties

Lastly, the following are some* of the reasons your child may benefit from occupational therapy.

If your child:

  • Is sensitive to sounds, textures, or movement

  • Has difficulty with self-help skills (dressing, bathing, hygiene, toothbrushing and toileting routines, tying shoes, manipulating buttons/snaps/zippers, independent utensil use)

  • Has trouble with motor skills (improve coordination and more effective mobility patterns to help with things such as bike riding, swinging, jumping rope, jumping jacks, tying shoes, manipulating buttons)

  • Demonstrates delayed play skills

  • Has trouble with handwriting (decreasing letter size, staying inside the lines, tracing, spacing between words, illegible handwriting, etc.)

  • Becomes upset very easily or has difficulty regulating their emotions

  • Experiences difficulty with social interaction

  • Difficulty sitting still, waiting, attending to tasks

  • Trouble achieving developmental milestones (eye tracking, reaching/grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling, clapping, manipulating toys)

  • Has difficulty with weak hand, arm, or tummy muscles

  • Issues with eye tracking, eye teaming, and copying sentences from near and far

  • Retained primitive reflexes causing functional issues at home and in the community

  • Demonstrates trouble with executive functioning (time management, organizations, managing schedules and routines, staying on task, improving self-control)

Early intervention is key! Progress is almost always faster and smoother the earlier the child receives intervention. It is very common for a parent to have questions or concerns about their child’s development, only to be told by other (well-meaning) friends/family or professionals to “wait and see.” It is important to contact an expert in your field of concern if you have questions!

At Madden Therapy Solutions, we are committed to providing families with ethically sound clinical advice regarding your child’s development and the need for therapeutic services.

*Please note this is not an exhaustive list. Please contact us to discuss your child’s specific needs and we would be more than happy to guide you and answer any questions you may have