Understand what is a speech impediment and how it can negatively effect your child’s education. Seek out the help and treatment they need.
What is a Speech Impediment and How it Effects Education
Children may have a bad start to school if they are unable to communicate. After the age of four, children should be able to pronounce words well and structure sentences. They need to receive adequate treatment to help correct these problems while they are young.
What is a Speech Impediment? Speech Impediment is also known as a speech disorder. It’s a condition that effects an individual’s ability to speak fluently, correctly, or with clear resonance or tone. Kids with speech impediments have problems forming words and/or creating correct sounds.
Some children have a delay in their verbal language and parents do not know it. This is evident in their lack of vocabulary. For example, there are three-year-old children who do not speak, in this instance it is clear there is an issue that needs to be addressed but often the signals are less clear. Often a child understands words, they know what they are for, but they cannot pronounce them.
Speech Impediments are Linked to Worse Educational Outcomes
According to language development specialists, at a year and a half children should already be saying their first words. They could say “mama come” or “mama, I want milk”. If they can’t structure sentences by the age of three, they should go for specialized consultation.
A child who understands points with his finger. The mother tells him to bring their shoes and they do it, she asks them where their notebook is and they bring it.
Oftentimes parents are responsible for children not speaking well. They make a mistake when they interpret the intentions of their children. They deduce what the child wants and say he or she wants water, wants his or her doll, his or her shoes, and they don’t let them speak for themselves.
Faced with this situation, the child thinks “what am I going to talk for if my mom or dad gives me everything?”
Parents have to know when to give things to the child and when they should ask for them. Parents must first be taught that it’s not just a matter of simply asking, sentences must be formed completely
Many parents worry if their children do not walk at one year of age, but there are few who notice a problem if they do not speak after one and a half years of age.
Speech Abilities at 3 Years Old
At three years old, they should be able to structure sentences. If the child goes to the nursery school, they should be able to tell everything that happened to them, even if it’s in their own language. At four, they should be able to use the simple ‘r’ and say pear, ear or even a sentence like ‘The teacher’s name is Maria’. At the age of five or six, at the latest, his phonetic development is complete. In other words, the child should be able to speak like an adult.
Parents do not know at what age these processes occur, because they are very young or first-timers and this is evidenced by comments such as “my son does not pronounce r well and the child is only two years old. The vibrant ‘r’ for rabbit, rose, and robbery is not pronounced well until they are six years old.
Serious Problems Start After They are Six Years Old
The biggest problem comes after the age of six, because if speech is not developed correctly there is a high probability of having learning problems at school.
The child starts school and if he says pate, instead of saying plate, he will write pate, because the correct sound does not exist in his mind. It is not recorded and therefore it will not be able to be written.
If these problems are not solved with the help of a speech therapist, they will continue to drag on. Children who, despite their bad pronunciation, manage to write well, are quite skilled, although this process costs them “double effort”. Ideally, speech therapy should be conducted well before the age of 6. This is so most problems are addressed in time and the delay does not affect the school performance. There is no need to visit a speech language pathologist’s office as there are online speech therapy programs that can be accessed from anywhere.
Medical tests for language delay
The child’s parents or teachers are often the first to become aware of this condition. However, the diagnosis must be made by speech professionals, based on tests performed by health experts who are trained to evaluate and treat children with this type of problem.
The SLP or speech language pathologist may conduct a questionnaire and interact with the child. They do it in a different way to obtain more information about the child’s development. A series of tests may also be done, including a hearing test, so that a referral to a speech and language therapist can be made if there is a problem.
What are the causes of language delay?
There are several factors that can cause this type of pathology. Some of them may be related to the phonatory apparatus, like alterations in the tongue or palate. And it may be that the frenulum is too short, which limits the movements of the tongue and affects the production of sounds. There may also be hereditary factors, brain lesions caused during gestation, at birth or at an early age. In bilingual families it is also possible for children to suffer from this type of pathology.
Early diagnosis is important, since the most optimal treatment for the patient can be used at early stages. In some cases, only the guidance of a specialist may be sufficient.
Can language delay be prevented?
Language delay can be prevented by seeing a speech therapist if there is a history and/or risk of a language problem. In addition, it is necessary to avoid situations that can generate anxiety and to take care of the speech pattern of those closest to the patient. Communication can also be encouraged and importance should be given to the content rather than the way in which it is said.
Treatments for language delay
Treatment consists of re-stimulation of the language processes that have been altered. Treatments must always be carried out by experts in language pathologies, such as speech therapists. Language delay is a pathology that is treated through language rehabilitation methods. In this case, medical treatments would be indicated to treat associated pathologies that can aggravate the linguistic picture . An example would be hypoacusis and hypoacusis due to serous otitis, chronic otitis… since any audiological problem has a direct influence on the development of language. Depending on the child, a personalized intervention plan must be made. For example a list of strengths and weaknesses must be identified and objectives must be set based on them. As a general rule, the key is to increase verbal and nonverbal communication and to teach language skills.
*Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your cost will be the same, but My Mommy Style will receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated!