Child’s language development: 5 signs that the baby needs specialized help

Irena Stankuvienė, a speech therapist at the Personal Health Clinic (Vilna Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis), talks about how to recognize a child’s language development disorders and not delay his diagnosis and corrective work.

It is caused by various reasons.

According to a press release, speech disorders are very diverse and are generally caused by complex causes that can occur both when the fetus is still in the womb and in later years.

“Language centers are formed in the third and fourth months of pregnancy. Its development can be hampered by damage to the fetal central nervous system or brain, which can be caused by an infectious disease, trauma, poisoning, medications, alcohol, drug use. If labor lasts more than 18 hours or gives birth very quickly, up to an hour, lack of oxygen can affect the language development of the newborn, “says speech therapist I. Stankuvienė.

Diseases in the first year of a child, their complications can affect speech. For example, if a child is diagnosed with a muscle tone disorder in the first half of the year, is flabby, reluctantly sitting, their articulating device (tongue, lower jaw, soft palate) is likely to be passive, motionless lips .

In addition, I. Stankuvienė notes that, in some cases, parents who take children to speech therapists admit that they spoke little to them, communicated with them, and the child spent hours in front of the television or computer. “There are no interesting educational programs or educational games to replace live communication. Biennials, sitting on screens for two more hours each day, experience constant tension. The consequences are poorer language, weak behavior, difficulty concentrating and Get a job. It is even more difficult for speech therapists to work with them: they don’t listen, they run in the office, they grab all the toys in a row, “says the specialist at the Personal Health Clinic.

Speech therapist notes that difficulties may also arise more frequently in migrant families, when a child who has not yet spoken or is beginning to speak enters a foreign language environment and their natural development of their native language is seen affected. In this case, if you notice a delay in language development, it is advisable to speak only one language in the family.

From late language development to stuttering

A specialist who works at the Child Development Center of the Personal Development Clinic says that it is not just those children whose speech development is delayed who visit a speech therapist. Children may also have difficulties with auditory perception or the inability to form images of sound articulation, this is called phonological speech disorders. They can make it difficult to learn to read and write later. Acquiring these latter skills will be more difficult even if the child is characterized by hypernosity, a change in the timbre and pronunciation of the voice due to non-growth of the palate or soft palate, making it difficult for pronunciation and poor auditory development . Such children use a limited vocabulary, unable to speak coherently. Children can also be characterized by voice disorders (tone, strength, resonance, timbre) due to anatomical changes and mental factors, imitation, inappropriate habits (for example, speaking out loud), hysteria.

Speech problems can also occur when the speech and hearing machine works normally. Speech therapist I. Stankuvienė distinguishes sound pronunciation disorder caused by inadequate articulation: irregular sound pronunciation, replacement of some sounds (usually s, z, š, ž, c, č, dz, dž, r, l) with others or complete non-pronunciation. These sound pronunciation defects can be caused by several reasons: incorrectly enlarged teeth, tongue or palate, irregular occlusion, deformity of the jaws, inability to perform the movements of the sound device necessary for sound pronunciation quickly and smooth, irregular imitation of the surrounding language, etc. They can also be caused by paralysis of speech devices, paresis, non-operated adenoids, polyps, somatic diseases, slow mental development, inappropriate social environment.

According to the speech therapist from the Child Development Center “Personal Health Clinic”, one of the most serious disorders is stuttering, when it is difficult to say words, express thoughts, repeat sounds or even words. It is estimated that 2-3% of people in the world are stuttering, it is more common in preschoolers, more often in boys than in girls. Stuttering generally occurs in the second to fifth year of life. At that time, the child finds it difficult to find the necessary words, he becomes excited, he hurries when speaking; causes confusion, interferes with the child’s language. Overcoming it requires not only the help of a speech therapist, but also the help of a neurologist, a psychologist, and the efforts of the person who stutters.

When should parents worry?

“Babies start screaming around the fourth or fifth month. One-year-olds already say between 2 and 30 words, and three-year-olds can already say around 1,500. So if your child is three and only says a few words like “mom”, “aunt”, “baby” should not expect a miracle. Contact a speech therapist because the longer the baby does not speak or speak irregularly, the later he will develop his ability to hear sounds, learn to speak, read, write. Sooner or later, you will definitely need the help of a speech therapist, “says I. Stankuvienė.

The specialist from the “Personal Health Clinic” advises contacting a speech therapist if:

• There is no linguistic communication (albeit with sounds) with a one-year-old child;
• A 1.2 to 1.5 year old child does not say a single word, does not respond to verbal requests, does not fully or partially understand the language addressed to him, speaks “his”, a language that others do not understand;
• A 2 year old does not say short sentences;
• A 3-5 year old boy pronounces the sounds incorrectly, his vocabulary is limited, it is difficult for him to speak coherently, to say, he speaks very quickly, his thoughts are expressed in a hurry, he repeats syllables, sounds when he speaks;
• A preschool and school age child pronounces sounds incorrectly, confuses them when speaking, has poorly developed fine motor skills, has difficulty concentrating, is not interested in numbers, letters, does not focus on where writing or reading is difficult the upper, lower, intermediate sheet.

Speech therapist advises parents raising 3 to 5 year olds to check their language and avoid it, because during this period of development, many children pronounce sounds incorrectly.

When visiting a speech therapist, the child’s speech is evaluated and guidelines are provided for corrective work, which the speech therapist follows in subsequent work: eliminating, relieving speech, language, voice, swallowing, communication disorders and learning difficulties.

“Many go to the speech therapist for a quick result, but this is not always the case. The duration of work depends largely on the nature of the disorder and the patient’s participation. Some of the constant work disorders can be completely eliminated, but it is important to start working with them as soon as possible, to show the child to a speech therapist as soon as the slightest suspicion of language development arises, “says I. Stankuvienė.