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Communication
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Therapy & support
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Therapy & support
What progress can a child with Speech and Language Delay make with AAC?
Children with speech and language delay can make real progress with AAC — pictures, sign or speech-generating apps — beginning to request, comment and connect with far less frustration. Evidence shows AAC does not hold back talking and often supports spoken language to emerge. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child with speech and language delay make with therapy?
Most children with speech and language delay make meaningful progress with therapy — gaining more words, clearer speech, better understanding and stronger social communication — especially when support starts early and is practised at home. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can a child make with PECS?
With the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), many children with speech and language delay learn to initiate communication by exchanging pictures to request, then build to choosing, sentences and commenting — and many also gain or increase spoken words as frustration falls. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can I expect from AAC?
With AAC, most children gradually build a reliable way to request, choose, refuse, comment and connect — progressing from single requests to combining symbols to fuller conversation. AAC does not stop speech and often supports it. Progress depends on daily modelling by the adults around the child. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat progress can I expect from speech and language therapy?
Most children make steady, meaningful progress with speech and language therapy, though pace varies by child. Early gains in communication intent often appear within weeks, while clearer speech and longer sentences build over months. Starting early, attending regularly and practising at home are the strongest drivers of progress. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat Progress Can I Expect From PECS?
PECS helps a non-verbal or minimally verbal child learn that communication gets results, progressing through clear phases — from a single picture exchange to seeking you out, choosing between pictures, building sentences and commenting. Many children develop spoken words alongside picture use, as PECS does not hinder speech. Pace varies with practice and consistency. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat qualifications should an AAC therapist have?
An AAC therapist should be a qualified speech-language pathologist with recognised Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) registration, plus specific training and hands-on experience in AAC systems and family coaching. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat qualifications should a speech and language therapist have?
A speech and language therapist supporting your child should hold a recognised Speech-Language Pathology degree (BASLP or MASLP) and be registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) with a valid CRR number, alongside genuine experience with children. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat qualifications should a PECS therapist have?
A PECS practitioner should hold a recognised communication-related qualification — most often a speech-language pathologist, but also trained occupational therapists, special educators or behaviour therapists — plus specific PECS workshop training and, in India, RCI registration where applicable. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child doesn't babble?
If your child isn't babbling, arrange a hearing check first and then a developmental check, while talking, singing and pausing to invite sounds. Most babies coo by ~2 months and babble repeated sounds by ~6–9 months. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child doesn't follow simple instructions?
If your child doesn't follow simple instructions, first check their hearing, understanding of words and attention. Give one-step instructions face-to-face with time to respond, and notice when the difficulty happens. Seek a developmental and hearing check if it is frequent or paired with speech, hearing or attention delays. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child doesn't point at things?
If your child isn't pointing, observe their wider communication — joint attention, gestures, babble — and encourage pointing at home, while booking a simple developmental check. Pointing usually emerges between 9 and 14 months; a child not pointing by around 15–18 months, or who has lost the skill, is worth a friendly clinician check. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child doesn't respond to their name?
If your child doesn't respond to their name, first rule out hearing with a simple screen, then observe consistently across quiet and busy moments, watching the whole picture — eye contact, pointing, babble. Not responding by around 9–12 months, especially with other social-communication signs, is worth a developmental check. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child doesn't talk yet?
If your child isn't talking yet, keep talking, playing and reading together, watch how they communicate beyond words, and arrange a developmental and speech check plus a hearing test rather than waiting. Late talking has many causes, and early support helps powerfully. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child echoes what others say?
Echoing others' speech — echolalia — is usually a normal, meaningful step in learning to talk, and is often purposeful communication. Respond by modelling and expanding language rather than correcting, and seek a developmental check if echoing remains the main way your child talks past toddlerhood or comes with other differences. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child isn't putting words together?
If your child isn't combining words by around 24 months, the best step is a warm developmental and speech check rather than waiting — alongside talking, reading and expanding on their words at home. Many children simply need encouragement; some benefit from speech therapy. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if your child isn't saying any words
If your child isn't saying any words, act early rather than waiting — talk and read daily, follow your child's lead, check hearing, and seek a speech and language check if there is no babbling or gesture by 12 months, no single words by 16–18 months, or any loss of skills. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child only says a few words?
If your child only says a few words, enrich their language daily, note what you observe, and arrange a developmental check if they are behind typical milestones — early support helps most children flourish. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child repeats words or phrases over and over?
Repeating words or phrases (echolalia) is a common and often normal part of how children learn to talk — frequently it is a way of communicating or self-soothing. Most toddlers grow out of immediate repetition by around age three. Seek a gentle developmental check if repetition continues beyond the early years or comes with other communication differences. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child started talking late?
If your child started talking late, keep talking, reading and playing richly each day, arrange a hearing check, and book a speech-language and developmental assessment to understand whether it is a temporary lag or needs targeted support. Many late talkers catch up, and early input helps. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child stopped talking and lost words they had?
If your child has lost words or social skills they once had, this regression warrants a prompt developmental check rather than watching and waiting. Note what changed and when, have hearing assessed, keep talking warmly, and book an assessment soon. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child stutters when speaking?
If your child stutters, slow your own speech, give unhurried time to finish, and listen to the message rather than correcting the bumps. Stuttering is common in young children and often resolves, but seek a speech-language check if it lasts beyond six months, worsens, or your child becomes frustrated or avoids speaking. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat should I do if my child talks but is hard to understand?
If your child talks but is hard to understand, keep responding warmly, model clear speech rather than correcting, reduce background noise, and arrange a speech and language check — especially if strangers can't follow them or clarity isn't improving. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Read the answer AnswerWhat strengths can a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech have?
Children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech often have strong understanding, expressive non-verbal communication, sharp visual and problem-solving skills, determination and warm social connection. CAS affects the planning of speech movements, not intelligence or potential. A clinical AbilityScore and diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under clinician care.
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