HealthInfo Canterbury

Caring for a child with speech & language delay or disorder

If your child has been diagnosed with speech and language delay or disorder there are lots of things you can do to help them learn and develop.

• Print out these top tips for communicating with your child.
• Make sure your child sees a qualified speech-language therapist. If your child is aged under 5 you can refer them to the Ministry of Education's Early Intervention Service. If your child is over 5 your school will have to refer them to the Ministry of Education Communication Service. There may be a waiting list and not all children may be eligible.

  You can contact the Ministry's Christchurch office by phone on (03) 378‑7300.

• Learn more by reading Much More Than Words.
• Learn more by reading these recommended online resources about speech and language delay and disorder:
  • The Hanen Centre – Tips for parents

    Tips for parents of children who communicate without words, who have just started talking, or who have started talking in sentences.

  • Speech-language-therapy dot com

    This site includes several articles on speech development and disorders, aimed at families and others close to children with communication difficulties.

  • Speech Pathology Australia – Factsheets

    Information on speech development and disorders, and communication strategies. (Speech pathologist is the Australian term for speech-language therapist.)

  • Speech and Language UK – Information and support

    A website about children's speech, language and communication, designed for parents, people who work with children, and children and young people themselves. It helps you to identify if a child is having difficulties and what to do about it. It has a range of resources and factsheets to help parents.

Getting help

Community support organisations

• Altogether Autism

  information about services for people with autism spectrum disorders, who can give you expert advice, and where you can find more information.

• Autism New Zealand

  Provides support, training, advocacy, resources and information on autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger's syndrome.

• Dyspraxia Support Group

  A support group for parents and caregivers of children with dyspraxia (a disorder of the brain that affects planning and coordination of movement). It aims to help children learn and achieve their potential.

• UpsideDowns

  New Zealand support for friends and family of people with special needs.

Private specialists

You may wish to pay to see a private speech-language therapist. You can search for a therapist on the Speech-language Therapists' Association website. You may also like to consider the following services:

• SPELD

  Provides information, assessment and tuition to families, whānau, schools and individuals living with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities.

• TalkLink

  This service links people who need help with speaking, writing, and learning with the technologies that can help them achieve their goals. For some people this may be funded through ACC or the health sector.

Treatment

Treatment for speech and language delay and disorder varies depending on what sort of disorder your child has and how serious it is. Your speech-language therapist may suggest you wait and see if your child's speech and language catch up naturally. Therapy programmes usually involve a combination of one-to-one sessions with a speech-language therapist and lots of practice at home.

Talk to a qualified speech-language therapist if you have any concerns about your child's speech and language development.

Financial help

There is no specific funding available for children with speech and language delay, but children with dyspraxia may be eligible for the Child Disability Allowance.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2020.

Page reference: 125743

Review key: HISCD-79694