If your baby is not making sounds or babbling sounds at 2 months, this could be an early sign of speech delay.
Speech delay is a delay in speech and language. This condition occurs when a child is unable to develop speech and language at the expected rate. A typical 2-year-old can say about 50 words and speak in two- and three-word sentences. By age 3, their vocabulary increases to about 1,000 words, and they speak in three- and four-word sentences. If a toddler has not reached these milestones, the child is said to have a speech delay. Well, here we discuss the impacts and how to handle speech delay.
Impact of Speech Delay on Children
If not treated as early as possible, speech delay can have long-term impacts, such as:
- Poor academic achievement
Reporting from the Indonesian Pediatrician Association, speech delays, lack of reading and writing skills can complicate a child’s learning process. This is because these skills are basic abilities that must be mastered by children when they enter school age. If not addressed, children will have difficulty answering questions, expressing opinions or ideas, reading, or understanding the conversations of teachers or friends in their class. As a result, their academic achievement can be disrupted because children cannot follow the lessons properly. - Difficulty getting a job
Children with speech disorders tend to be reluctant to go to school. This is because they have to struggle to understand lessons and communicate well. This can also make them stressed and depressed so that they prefer to drop out of school. Low education can make it difficult for them to get a good job as adults. In fact, they may have difficulty maintaining a job due to difficulty communicating. - Prone to psychological problems
Difficulty communicating can also make it difficult for children to establish relationships with others. This is because this problem makes it difficult for them to receive information, follow conversations, or respond to other people’s jokes. Gradually, they become depressed and prefer to isolate themselves. They are also prone to social anxiety disorder which causes excessive anxiety and fear of being in crowded public places.
Handling Speech Delay
Handling speech delay depends on its severity. In addition to undergoing speech therapy with an expert, the most important thing is to train your child to speak every day at home. Here are some ways to train your child to speak quickly:
- Invite interaction
Entering the age of one year, children actually understand many words. It’s just that they can’t express them yet. That’s why, pay attention to your child’s gestures to help their language skills. For example, when they wave their hand, you can say “Bye!” or “See you!”. When your child points at something, you can help them with “Do you want a snack? Which one? Oh, this round one? This is called a biscuit”. Stop screen time for a while and don’t be lazy to invite them to interact. The more often you invite them to talk, their vocabulary will continue to grow and their understanding will increase. - Hearing therapy
If speech delay is caused by a hearing problem, then the primary treatment is ear infection treatment or hearing therapy. - Regularly check yourself with a doctor
Take your child to the doctor regularly to check for medical conditions and monitor their language development.
The Right Time to Take Your Child to the Doctor
If your child is experiencing a speech delay, it doesn’t always mean that something is wrong. It could be due to a hearing loss, neurological disorder, or other underlying condition. Some children just need more time to start talking. If your baby isn’t making any sounds or babbling sounds by 2 months, this could be an early sign of a speech delay. By 18 months, most babies can use simple words like “mama” or “dada.”
Well, the signs of speech delay in older toddlers are:
- Age 2 does not use at least 25 words.
- Age 2.5 does not use two unique words or noun-verb combinations.
- Age 3 does not use at least 200 words.
- Cannot pronounce previously learned words.
If these signs are experienced by children, parents need to immediately check their children with a doctor. The type of treatment for speech delay in children depends on the cause. The doctor will tell the parents the cause of the child’s problem and discuss treatment options. The doctor may refer the child to a speech and language pathologist. The speech pathologist will show parents how to help the child talk more and speak better, and can also teach the child how to listen or read lips.
Teaching babies and young children a version of sign language can also help their language development. Contrary to what some may think, using sign language with babies and young children does not actually delay their language development. Other specialists your doctor may recommend seeing include a psychologist to help with behavioral issues, an occupational therapist to help with activities of daily living, or a social worker to help with family issues.
If parents see their child showing signs of speech delay, parents need to immediately have their child examined to get a definite diagnosis. Toddlers develop differently and it can be challenging to distinguish between a delay and a speech or language disorder. According to health data published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 to 20 percent of 2-year-olds have delayed language development, with boys three times more likely to be in this group. To get information related to your child’s health, your pediatrician will ask questions about your toddler’s speech and language abilities as well as other developmental milestones and behaviors.
The doctor will also examine your child’s mouth, palate, and tongue. He or she will likely check your child’s hearing. Even if your child seems responsive to sound, there may be a hearing loss that is causing his or her speech to sound slurred.
Depending on the initial findings, the doctor will refer your child to other specialists for a more thorough evaluation. This may include:
- Audiology
- Speech-language pathologist.
- Neurologist.
- Early intervention services.
That’s a review of the right time to take a child to the doctor when experiencing a speech delay. So, make sure parents are not late to check it, okay.
