StarLiVe talk focuses on speech and language difficulties in kids

Most parents remember the first word their child said. Maybe it was Mama, or maybe Dada. Or maybe some quirky combination of the two. From there, they string simple sentences together. Vocabularies are built. Words – “I want dinosaur! I want go circus!” – are gleefully mispronounced, then corrected.

But what if your child struggles and can’t keep apace with other children?

June’s StarLIVE talk is probably for you. Shining the spotlight on speech and language development in children, speech therapist Aina Elias will discuss how to tell if your child has a speech or language difficulty.

In the session, she will also discuss what a speech therapist does, what communication skills are, and the typical developmental milestones children should achieve at different ages. Additionally, she will explain what you or your caregiver can do to further develop your child’s speech and language skills.

She will also talk about the important differences between speech and language, as well as a delay and a disorder. For instance, if your child has delayed communication skills, he is progressing in the correct pattern but at a slower rate. If he has a disorder, development is atypical altogether, probably because of disorders like autism or Down’s syndrome.

Aina, who is with SpeecHelp in Petaling Jaya, was clinically trained in New Zealand and has been a speech therapist for six years. The StarLIVE session will be held on June 27, from 10.30am to 12pm, at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.