The Importance of Consultation of a Speech Therapist for Parents of Children of Early and Preschool Age

Early age is a sensitive period of a child's speech development. Theeffectiveness of further corrective work will depend on the timelydetection of a speech disorder during this period. The article provides abrief description of the stages of normal speech development andemphasizes the importance of being able to distinguish a delay inspeech development from a speech disorder. The reasons for whichcorrective classes with a speech therapist are necessary for children ofearly and preschool age are named. It is emphasized the need forparents to consult a speech therapist in a timely manner for assistancefrom specialists. The influence of a speech disorder on the child'smental development is determined. The article providesrecommendations for parents, which will be useful in case of delayedspeech development of young children, and will also be effective inpreventing speech disorders in young and preschool children.