Tired of being on a waiting list?
We know that your child needs to receive services as soon as possible. At Steps Forward, our goal is to get your child scheduled for evaluation so treatment can begin. We try to make the process as painless as possible for you and your child by scheduling appointments quickly and helping you get the necessary paperwork from your doctor and insurance company.
Our excellent therapists provide occupational and speech therapy services to address sensory integration, autism spectrum disorders, articulation disorders, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, developmental disabilities, language disorders, apraxia, coordination disorders, balance, fine motor movement, and many other diagnoses. For information about developmental milestones for speech, see the information listed below.
We offer services in our new office in St. Petersburg as well as in the surrounding community. We are proud to offer the DIR/Floortime model of treating children with developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders.
Speech-Language Developmental Guidelines
The following are general guidelines for speech-language development. By the age of 3, typically developing children have the motor skills and musculature to produce all sounds. Speech sound guidelines are typically when at least 85% of children in past research studies have been found to have mastered that sound. If you feel that you have difficulty understanding your child, that your child does not use words to communicate by age 2, your child is having behavioral problems at daycare, or that he/she does not communicate like his/her peers, we recommend a speech-language evaluation. If your child is school age, remember that the school system only provides therapy for issues that it considers to be “educationally relevant”. This is a very narrow definition and becomes more difficult to navigate daily. Early intervention is key to helping your child’s speech, language, feeding, social, and cognitive development.
