Language & Behaviour Concerns

Children’s behavior can be affected by a huge variety of factors, including illness, poor sleep, poor nutrition, anxiety, sadness, confusion, frustration, developmental stages, etc.

If your child’s behavior becomes a concern for you, and you are seeking professional advice, one of the things to consider is his speech and language development.

As speech language pathologists (SLP’s) we have seen many examples of how a child’s speech or language skills can affect his behavior. These include:

• If a child has delayed language skills this can result in unrealistic expectations about how a child understands information or directions
• If a child is not able to express herself clearly or effectively, she may become frustrated and act out
• A delay or disorder in speech or language development can be subtle, and children can be very skilled at getting clues from their environment and others around them making them, appear to understand more than they do

If you have concerns about your child’s behavior, it could be helpful to have a speech and language assessment to rule out speech or language delays being a contributing factor.

How to Make a Referral

If you feel that Speech & Language Therapy would help your child, please feel free to contact the centre and/or make a referral.