The Calgary Board of Education is seeing a sharp rise in the number of kids who need help with the way they talk, and speech therapists can barely keep up with the demand.

The number of children who need speech therapy has nearly doubled from two years ago, although the number of students enrolled in Calgary public schools is roughly the same as it was a decade ago.

'We're still seeing the same amount of severe cases, but it seems like more of the mild and moderates are popping up.'—Sharon Hodgson

Sharon Hodgson, one of 14 full-time equivalent speech and language pathologists with the board, sees between 60 and 80 kids a week.

"We're still seeing the same amount of severe cases, but it seems like more of the mild and moderates are popping up," she said.

"I don't have as much time to meet with the parents, to teach them how to do it at home. I find that I am coming in, doing my treatment and leaving, so the effectiveness of my treatment probably decreases."

Candyce Ibbott-Howie, a supervisor with the board's speech and language services, said the board wants to hire four more full-time speech pathologists, but is having a hard time finding them.

Too much time in front of TV, video games

The board cites several reasons why children have speech problems.

There are more children with autism integrated into the school system who are more likely to have extreme speech problems. 

When it comes to mild or moderate problems, it can be due to a physical reason, such as hearing problems.

Sometimes children don't get enough practice talking when they're small because they spend too much time involved in passive play, such as sitting and playing video games or watching television, rather than interacting with other people.

Therapists also have to work with children on learning the structure of English language, either because English is the second language at home or because the child was raised by foreign speaking nannies. 

"The model that is being provided of broken English or limited English knowledge in terms of vocabulary words impacts what the children are learning," said Ibbott-Howie.

"They aren't having that same rich strong model that a parent who does speak fluent English would have."

Michelle Frampton, mother of five-year-old Calgary student Mackenzie, said speech therapy has made a huge difference in her child, who two years ago she had trouble understanding.

"She's a lot more outgoing," she said. "I hear her playing with other kids in our house or wherever and it's constant dialogue going back and forth, where it wasn't always that way."