The Importance of Early Intervention in Speech Therapy

The Importance of Early Intervention in Speech Therapy and How Tools Like Match-Pix Can Aid Development

Children are born with the foundational building blocks to learn and master language. When young children experience speech and language delays, it can be challenging for both the child and their guardians. Early intervention is crucial to help a child develop the necessary skills to overcome these delays, giving them the best chance at success.

I experienced this firsthand when my twins were born at 33 weeks, each weighing just 3 pounds. By the time they were 2 years old, one of my daughters wasn’t speaking at all, and the other had a processing delay, which meant it took her 30 seconds to two minutes to understand and respond to instructions.

As a concerned mother, I reached out to a speech therapist for help. Soon, my home became a bustling hub of activity with speech therapists, occupational therapists, pediatric nurses, and other specialists coming and going. While the early speech intervention they received was beneficial, I felt overwhelmed by the constant influx of professionals and wished for a more streamlined approach to help my daughters.

One significant issue I noticed was the lack of tools available to the speech therapists to effectively engage my daughters. Fast forward 21 years, and my twin daughters are now young adults, still facing language disabilities and delays. If tools like Match-Pix had been available during their early development, the animated pictures could have provided a fantastic way to elicit responses, reducing the need for frequent visits from specialists. I could have used the app on my device to work with my daughters at home.

Parents and guardians are the first educators children have. Match-Pix offers 30 picture words for 22 sounds, helping young children build language skills from an early age. By using this app, parents can engage with their children at their developmental stage, teaching them to talk, listen, follow directions, and understand various processes. Early use of Match-Pix can significantly support a child's speech and language development, providing a valuable tool for parents and guardians to aid their children’s growth.