"Many children with untreated language delay appear to catch up on their own when they are little. Their real language deficits become clear in middle school as academics become more language-focused. More advanced vocabulary and the need for advanced grammar skills are apparent not only in English, but even in math as word problems take a greater command of language than previously required in simple equations.
"This is the time that many children who were born prematurely fall behind or even fail academically. They are sometimes even labeled as “lazy” or “dumb” when they simply need more help in language to succeed. A study from the University of Rhode Island found:
→ Effects of pre-term birth do not disappear after age 2 or even after pre-term children catch up physically with full-term babies.
→ Learning disabilities and other functioning issues often do not appear in premature babies until second grade and middle school years.
→ Pre-term infants with no medical conditions have more learning disabilities, struggles with mathematics and need more school services than full-term babies. One of Sullivan's studies determined that at least one-third of babies born pre-term needed school services at some point during their education.
"Many or not most of these effects can be overcome by early intervention. By combining Gemiini with a trained professional speech pathologist, children really do get the best of both worlds. The professional can assess the foundational language weaknesses and create Gemiini video homework to address specific goal areas. With the repetition and almost unlimited access of the Gemiini program, gains can be made much faster than with speech therapy alone."
KERI ARNOLD, MS, CCC-SLP is a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist with extensive experience in early intervention and pre-verbal children. In her twenty years of practice as an SLP, Keri has learned that fun and functional early intervention is the key to successful lifelong communication. Keri is a neuroplasticity nerd, and “rewiring” brains to strengthen communication and connection is her passion.