Total services for children with speech and language disorders

Based on the typical stages of development, a 2.5-year-old child should have an expressive vocabulary of 50-250 words. At this age, a child should typically be able to use simple complete sentences (e.g. "Mommy wants to go for a walk"), say his/her name, answer simple questions and name familiar objects (not necessarily with clear articulation).

At this age we are very interested in the child's perception (perception comes before expression) and then we need to test his/her language ability. Therefore the child should:

• Pointing to the object or picture we ask (e.g. "show me the balloon")
• Show his/her body parts and clothes
• Follow simple commands (e.g. "bring me the teddy bear")
• Mimic the sounds of animals or objects
• Turning at his name or when you call on him

You should therefore be concerned when your child's vocabulary remains stable (< 15 words), does not enrich as they approach 3 years of age and struggles with the above skills.

Based on typical developmental stages, a 4.5-year-old child is able to clearly pronounce all the consonants of the Greek language, with the exception of some complexes. In cases where the child has great difficulty in mastering the sounds and his speech is unintelligible, it is advisable to be evaluated by a speech and language therapist.

It should be noted that not all children follow the same developmental path. Each child has his or her own chronological milestones for the acquisition of phonemes and clusters which may differ from those mentioned above. Parents should pay particular attention to the age of 5 to 5.5 years, which is crucial for the child's later development. At this age the child should produce all phonemes and complexes clearly so that his/her later learning process is not affected and his/her oral difficulties are not transferred to the written word.

In cases where there is no organic cause (e.g. short halter), the acquisition of the /r/ phoneme is usually expected at the age of 5 - 5.5 years. In some cases it can be acquired at a younger age and in some cases it can be acquired by the age of 7 years. It would be advisable for the child to have mastered the /r/ vowel before entering primary school, thus avoiding "teasing" by peers as well as the chances of consolidating the difficulty in our child's oral speech. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Many children at the age of 2-3 years show symptoms of stuttering. This is a period of 'normal' or 'developmental' stuttering, i.e. it is a developmental phase in speech development where the child repeats words or syllables. This is because the child's requirements for fluency, with his or her potential, are not the same. In this case the symptoms subside without therapeutic intervention.

However, in cases where the symptoms of stuttering last more than 3 months and instead of subsiding become persistent, it may be more than just a developmental phase in speech development that may develop into a speech flow disorder.

It is therefore necessary for any child who has persistent traumatic symptoms lasting more than 3 months to be evaluated by a Speech and Language Therapist as early as possible in order to diagnose the nature and extent of the stuttering in time.

Early assessment of the child and early intervention significantly increases the chances of restoring spontaneous flow in the child's speech. Thus, the child will not have to experience the unbearable emotional pressure of being different or the reactions of his peers during his academic progress.

The language readiness of preschool children is a predictor for their smooth adaptation to school and for the easier learning of first writing and first reading. Therefore, a speech disorder that is not treated in time is very likely to affect their school performance.

Response to school readiness

Autism is a developmental disorder whose symptoms usually become apparent by the age of 30 months. It is characterised by reduced social interaction and communication, as well as restricted and stereotyped behaviour. Over time, as the symptoms become more apparent, the child fails to develop verbal and communication skills.

Although autism cannot be cured, there are therapeutic interventions that help people with autism develop social and communication skills to improve their quality of life. Early intervention significantly increases the chances of a child's functioning.

the centre cooperate with all insurance funds. Through the insurance funds it is possible to cover all or part of the cost of the treatments. The procedure to follow is as follows:

• You will need to get authorisation for the treatments from a public body
  - Mental Health Centre (Valaoritou 35, 26510-35891/26510-38919)
  - General Hospital of Ioannina G. Hadjikosta
  - Iatropaedagogical Center (3rd km National Road of Ioannina - Athens, 26510-67388)
  - University Hospital of Ioannina
• Have the medical controller of your fund approve your treatments
• Start your treatments at our centre and with our receipt, the certificate of approval and some other supporting documents, submit them at the end of each month to the benefits department of your fund
• Your health insurance fund will pay the money you are entitled to for treatments into your bank account

With early intervention, children aged 2-5 years can relatively easily recover from their language difficulties with proper and methodical intervention. This is because the age of 2-5 years is considered the most timely and critical for intervention, due to the plasticity of the brain. Early intervention allows the child to assimilate the stimuli received more easily and effectively.

In general, parents should work with early intervention in speech and language problems in mind before they become exaggerated and valuable time is lost.

Based on this general rule, parents as well as teachers of young children should be able, as soon as they identify some difficulties, to refer a child for evaluation to a Speech and Language Therapist. In this way they act effectively, proactively and particularly beneficial for the child's future

• Has difficulty understanding what you tell him/her, does not react appropriately to the instructions you give him/her
• articulation has not been 'cleaned up', does not pronounce all consonants correctly
• Difficulty repeating multi-syllable words and long sentences
• His vocabulary is not as rich as other children his age. Although he goes to kindergarten, he makes sentences with only 2-3 words, without using articles, prepositions or other grammatical elements
• Finds it difficult to tell something that happened to him or a story (e.g. how was school?)
• "Sticks" and repeats the beginning of a sentence or word many times
• Often expresses tantrums, tantrums, frustration for no apparent reason

Many children may show 1 or 2 symptoms without this indicating any difficulty in speech development. However, if your child is exhibiting any of the above symptoms and this worries you, see a speech and language therapist and ask for an assessment of their difficulties.