Speech and language delay is the most common reason families seek an evaluation for a young child — and most of what the speech expert measures is what you already hear, every single day.
Language grows in the everyday back-and-forth at home — which means you hear the first signs before anyone else. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is wonderful at what they do, but the picture they build leans heavily on what you can already tell them: when your child started talking, what they understand, how clear their speech is. Gather that, and you walk in ready — and the help often starts sooner, when it works best.
Pick your child’s age, then answer based on what you hear. Under each question is what the SLP listens for. At the end you get a printable summary to bring to an evaluation or Early Intervention. Nothing you enter is saved or sent — not on our servers, not in your browser. Print it and it’s gone.
Let’s clear the fog before you spend anything.
An SLP looks at four things: how well your child understands language, how they talk and express themselves, how clear their speech sounds are, and the social side of communication. It’s mostly play, talking, and pictures — not scary for the child.
Often, yes. Under age 3, your state’s free Early Intervention program evaluates and provides speech therapy. Age 3 and up, your public school must evaluate for free. Private SLP evaluations exist too ($200–600+), but many families start with the free route. See your state’s free Early Intervention & programs.
A speech-language pathologist — a licensed specialist (the credential is CCC-SLP) in communication. They handle far more than “saying sounds right”: understanding language, vocabulary, sentences, social communication, stuttering, and even feeding for little ones.
U.S. children has a speech or language disorder — and the earlier it’s caught, the better it responds. You hear the first signs before anyone else. Let’s get them down on paper.