Speech and Language Delay
Like any other abilities and developmental milestones, the onset of language acquisition and speech initiation in children can differ. Gaining insight into speech and language delay can assist parents in determining whether there are any potential concerns.
What distinguishes Speech and Language?
– Speech involves the vocal manifestation of language and encompasses articulation, which relates to the manner in which we produce sounds and words.
– Language involves the exchange of information, encompassing the comprehension and expression of ideas through communication, whether verbal, nonverbal, or written.
What Constitutes Speech or Language Delays?
Distinctions exist between speech and language issues, although there is often some overlap. For instance:
– A child experiencing a language delay may articulate individual words effectively but struggle to construct sentences beyond two words.
– On the other hand, a child with a speech delay might employ words and phrases to convey thoughts but may face challenges in being intelligible to others.
What Are the Indicators of a Speech or Language Delay?
If a baby fails to respond to sound or vocalize, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention. However, parents often find it challenging to discern whether their child is simply taking a bit longer to reach a speech or language milestone or if there’s an underlying issue. Here are some cues to observe, and it’s advisable to contact your doctor if your child:
– By 12 months: doesn’t engage in gestures like pointing or waving bye-bye.
– By 18 months: prefers gestures over vocalizations for communication.
– By 18 months: struggles with imitating sounds.
– Experiences difficulty understanding simple verbal requests.
– By 2 years: can only imitate speech or actions and doesn’t spontaneously produce words or phrases.
– By 2 years: repeats only some sounds or words consistently and can’t use oral language to convey more than immediate needs.
– By 2 years: can’t follow simple directions.
– By 2 years: exhibits an unusual tone of voice, such as raspy or nasal sounding.
Additionally, contact the doctor if your child’s speech is more challenging to understand than anticipated for their age:
– Parents and regular caregivers should comprehend about 50% of a child’s speech at 2 years and 75% at 3 years.
– By 4 years old, a child should be mostly understood, even by individuals unfamiliar with the child.
What Contributes to Speech or Language Delays?
A delay in speech development could stem from various factors, such as:
– Oral impairments, including issues with the tongue or palate (the roof of the mouth).
– A short frenulum (the fold beneath the tongue), which may restrict tongue movement.
Many children with speech delays encounter oral-motor challenges, arising from difficulties in the areas of the brain responsible for speech. This complication makes it challenging to coordinate the lips, tongue, and jaw for producing speech sounds. Additionally, these children may experience other oral-motor issues, such as difficulties with feeding.
Hearing problems also play a role in speech development. Therefore, it is essential for an audiologist to assess a child’s hearing whenever there is a concern about speech. Children facing hearing challenges may encounter difficulties in speaking, understanding, imitating, and utilizing language.
While ear infections, particularly chronic ones, can impact hearing, normal development of speech and language is likely as long as there is regular hearing in at least one ear.
When there’s a concern about your child’s speech or language development, it is crucial to consult with a speech-language pathologist (SLP) promptly. You can seek out a speech-language pathologist independently, or you may request your healthcare provider to provide a referral.
The SLP, also known as a speech therapist, will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your child’s speech and language skills. This assessment involves standardized tests and an examination of developmental milestones in speech and language.
Additionally, the SLP will evaluate:
– Your child’s comprehension abilities (receptive language).
– Your child’s expressive language, including what they can articulate.
– The development of sounds and the clarity of speech.
– The oral-motor status of your child, assessing how the mouth, tongue, palate, and other components work together for speech, as well as for eating and swallowing.
Also Read Related: What is Developmental Delay?
Mability Institute is more than just a school; it is a place where dreams take flight,where unique abilitiesare celebrated, and where the power of education totransform lives is deeply understood.
Main services
- Special Education
- Physiotherapy
- Nutritionist
- Occupational Therapy
- Psychology
- Speech Therapy
Key features
- Highly Qualified Therapists
- Modern & Well-Equipped Campus
- Excellent Treatment Department
- Stem Learning
- Unique Tailored Plans
Social Links
- Youtube