by Janidu Wijebandara
Noticing a speech delay in your child can be a stressful experience for any parent. It is a common habit of new parents to be on the constant lookout for any signs that are ‘out of the ordinary’ (often with much fear!) when it comes to the speaking and listening abilities of their child. As a result, a condition like speech delay is almost always noticed early on, which you must then confirm with the aid of experienced speech therapists/pathologists.
What this article discusses are the methods you can use to encourage a child below 5 years of age with a confirmed speech delay, to produce words and counter this delay, and also get an understanding of what external and internal conditions cause it.
What causes this?
Understanding why speech delays happen is beneficial as it helps you understand what possible behaviours you, as a parent, can change or avoid when trying to remedy this condition.
1. Communication and interaction between parents and toddlers
One significant (if not the most common) reason why speech delays happen in children, especially in early childhood, is the frequency of the interactions between the parent and child. If you’re a parent with busy work schedules that often keep you away from your child, this will severely limit the number of interactions you have with your child. If you are the only adults around the child, what this does is reduce the number of words and phrases your child is exposed to, which will eventually end up limiting their vocabulary and urge to talk.
2. Socio-economic levels of the family
Interestingly, studies have shown that children from lower-income families tend to show an increase in speech delays - stemming from reasons such as busy working parents (this is of course assuming there are no other adults in their environments). The levels of education in parents (especially in mothers) often determine the quality of interactions, with educated mothers having more complex interactions with their children and under-educated or teenage mothers, in their communication with their children.
3. Genetics
While the above reasons are mostly external, genetics are an internal factor which cannot necessarily be remedied easily. If you or your partner have a history of speech delay, or if such instances are common in your family histories in general, there is a high chance that your child might experience it too.
Possible counter-measures you can take
1. Reading to your toddler
Reading to your child could be a great way to build a healthy parent-child connection, all the while incorporating conversations, interactions, and exercises like joint attention. Reading will allow you to point at images, ask questions about the stories, and construct conversations with expressive gestures - which can persuade your child to produce gestures and words, and direct questions at you as well.
2. Letting your toddler lead
It is also important to regularly talk to your toddler and follow their lead. This means allowing them to carry the bulk of the conversation while you affirm their responses, which will make them the centre of the conversation. You can also assist the process by doing self-talk, where you explain what you’re doing, as you’re doing it with your child.
3. Using ‘functional words’
You can also use a lot of functional words in your conversations, which are words that are related to actions such as requests, such as ‘go’, ‘up’, ‘down’ (or even ‘please’ in slightly older children), etc. You can use them while doing gestures that accompany them, as the aim is not to get full sentences out of your child but to make them understand the concept and start producing the words. You can incorporate this into other actions with stronger exercises like waiting for them to ask for their usual toy or cup on their own, (without giving it to them first) which boils down to an attempt to get them to talk and request for it, and use functional words as they do.
4. Seeking speech therapy
The next option, which is generally advised you do alongside all these remedies, is to place your child in speech therapy. Speech delays can also be a sign of being in the autistic spectrum, although this is not always the case, so getting your child to an experienced professional will give you a deeper knowledge, and a better chance at avoiding a misdiagnosis on your part. Websites like the Sri Lankan Association of Speech and Language Pathologists (SASLP) can guide you to find speech therapists in your region, for more experienced and strategic approaches to your child’s speech delay.
Conclusion
While speech delay is not a condition that should be feared, it must be taken care of as soon as it is detected - since it is often linked by studies to more serious speech impediments later in life. While there are multiple methods you can use right at home to get your child to speak, having a speech therapist in the equation can be a hugely positive factor, which will give you peace of mind as well, about your child’s well-being.