When is it worth seeing a speech therapist?
How many words should a child say at a given age?
Every child develops at their own pace, but there are some rough markers that help you judge whether something is worth a closer look. At around 2 years old, a child usually puts two words together in a simple phrase. By about 3, a child’s speech usually becomes easier to understand for people outside the immediate family too. And between 4 and 5, they should be able to pronounce most sounds (some Polish sounds such as “r”, “sz” and “cz” can take longer).
These are only rough ranges, not a strict rule. But if your child is clearly behind them, it’s worth not putting off a conversation with a specialist “until later”.
“They’ll grow out of it”, “their older brother talked like that for a long time too”, “they’re still little” — parents often hear things like this when they’re worried about how their child speaks. Sometimes it really is just a matter of time. And sometimes a short meeting with a speech therapist quickly clears up any doubts or helps notice early an area where a child needs support. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Which signs are worth noticing?
A single sign doesn’t have to mean a difficulty. But it’s worth talking to a specialist if certain behaviours keep happening, last a long time or start to make communication harder for your child.
- at 2 years old your child doesn’t yet put two words together,
- after the age of 3 your child’s speech is still very hard to understand, even for close family,
- your child prefers to point rather than speak, even though they understand what is said to them,
- they have difficulty eating or chewing, or drool for longer than usual for their age,
- they get stuck or repeat syllables and it clearly frustrates them,
- you regularly have to “translate” to others what your child has said.
An everyday example: A four-year-old in our group loved to play and understood all instructions, but when he wanted to say something to his friends, he would more often wave his hand and give up when he saw they didn’t understand him straight away. His teacher simply mentioned it to his parents, without raising any alarm. After a meeting with the speech therapist, he started working with her. Over time, communicating with other children became easier for him and he more and more often started conversations himself.
What the first meeting with a speech therapist looks like
The first meeting is usually a conversation and observation, not a test. The speech therapist looks at how the child speaks and breathes, whether they can tell speech sounds apart, and how developed their vocabulary and sentence-building are. Based on this, they agree on a plan — sometimes the specialist suggests a few tips to use at home, and sometimes recommends regular sessions.
The first meeting is mainly about understanding how your child’s speech is developing and whether extra support is needed. The earlier this happens, the easier it is to catch up before any delays start to affect friendships with other children or learning to read.
The speech therapist at our preschool
At Niebieska Przystań our speech therapist is with us every day. Having a speech therapist on site makes it easier for teachers and parents to share observations about a child’s speech development. In small groups (up to 14 children) it’s easier to notice small difficulties early, before they start to clearly affect a child’s everyday communication, and you as parents can ask questions as things come up.
This support works best together with the rest of the team — we’ve already written about how to support your child’s emotions in difficult moments, and difficulties with speaking often go hand in hand with frustration, which is easier to understand when you know both sides. It also relates to when it’s best to start learning English — at our preschool English is part of a child’s everyday life. If there are questions about speech development, it’s important that the speech therapist, teachers and parents work together and look at the child’s communication as a whole.
What can you do today?
- If you’re going to see a speech therapist, you could record a short, natural conversation with your child at home. This kind of sample can be a helpful addition to the specialist’s observations.
- Read aloud to your child every day, even for just a few minutes — it’s one of the simplest things you can do for their speech.
- Don’t correct your child in a way that embarrasses them — instead of “you said that wrong”, simply repeat the sentence correctly as if you were carrying on the conversation.
- If something worries you, don’t wait for it to “go away by itself” — arrange a short chat with our speech therapist to clear up your doubts.
Frequently asked questions about the speech therapist at preschool
Is a three-year-old who speaks unclearly a reason to worry?
Not necessarily — unclear speech up to the age of 3 is perfectly normal. It’s worth taking a closer look if even you can’t understand your child, or if you notice other signs from the list above.
Does bilingualism delay speech development?
Learning two languages doesn’t in itself cause pronunciation difficulties, although bilingual children may mix words from both languages for a while — that’s a normal stage, not a reason to worry.
How long does speech therapy take?
It’s very individual — from a few months for small difficulties to longer, regular work when the difficulties are bigger.
Can I arrange a meeting with a speech therapist without a referral?
Yes, a meeting with a speech therapist doesn’t need a referral. At our preschool, a short chat with your child’s teacher or directly with the speech therapist is all it takes.
Does a speech therapist only work on pronouncing sounds?
No — a speech therapist also helps with building vocabulary, putting sentences together, fluent speech and correct breathing, not just pronouncing individual sounds.
Want to know more?
If you notice any of these signs in your child and would like to talk about it, we’ll be happy to suggest the next steps.
💙 From Niebieska Przystań 💙
We take every “doesn’t speak clearly yet” seriously. Sometimes calm observation is enough, sometimes a meeting with a specialist helps. What matters most is not to judge a child by one sign, but to look at their communication as a whole.
