Ming from Agents of Speech explains why getting a professional assessment for speech delays is worth it, even for mild cases. A clinician's job is to discharge you, not keep you in therapy. Some delays resolve fast, but catching them early means your child won't fall further behind.
Therapy and getting it checked up. All these things are way of managing risk. You going to speech therapy or seeking professional advice is also managing risk. I've had many, many, many children who come to me and just doing a little bit therapy. I will know whether they are just a little bit delayed and considered Einstein syndrome. And maybe six weeks down the road, they start talking nonstop already and I can discharge them. And what you have to understand, at least for me, speech therapy or any therapy that I'm doing, my goal is always to discharge the case, okay? I don't want you guys around at all. In fact, when therapist wants you around for maybe the money, that's the wrong mindset. I want you to leave and go away and have a life, okay? Don't need to come to me. If you need to come to me, that's not necessarily a good thing. You know what I'm saying? I want you to be able to feel comfortable with how much your child is communicating with you. The question is, if you want to reduce risk, obviously go seek a professional. If you want to reduce risk, you cannot think in a way that you think that, oh, my child might be like Albert Einstein. That's actually hurts even more if it's the other way around.
