My Child Still Does Not Speak. Should I Be Worried? – Being Parents

There comes a time in the baby’s growth when parents assess their child’s development. And there,  some concerns concern them. “He is already 2 years old and my child still does not speak. He barely speaks a word. ” These phrases are a typical sign of concern. What to do in these cases?

Of course, there is an average delay for a child to start speaking his first words. However,  each individual has a development time for each activity. And that does not condition its development.

From an early age, every human being manifests conditions. These reveal the perfect order of its natural development. For example, looking with your eyes for the voices of those around you, spontaneously babbling and laughing out loud. There are also other actions that reflect the absence of speech or hearing problems.

Very often  the reason for the child not making sounds or pronouncing correctly may be the education he received. So, the child presents this behavior only out of laziness or bad education.

Despite this, this inner voice that reminds them: “My  child still does not speak” generates anxiety in parents. Indeed, they find it hard to believe that it is an act of laziness. And, therefore, they wait a long time before consulting with specialists. However, only they are able to correctly diagnose children.

The child may be two years old and speak only a few words or none at all. In this case, it is time to seek help from the pediatrician.  This can verify the correct development of speech.

It is therefore important to make the diagnosis early. Indeed, often the delay in language development can signify a major disorder.

Likewise, it should be noted that it is necessary to stimulate language in a positive way in children. To do this, the  parents should accompany the process at any time. Reading fairy tales or stories can help. But also, being in constant communication throughout the day will strengthen communication. Thus, one can help improve speech from an early age.

Tips for parents of children with language impairments

It is important not to take a passive attitude. If my child still does not speak, I can get involved and collaborate with him. Thus, he will be able to develop this capacity.

• Children learn language  by listening to people around them, mainly by imitation. You will always be the example. So try to speak clearly and slowly.
• Invest quality time in communicating with your children. From breastfeeding and continuously as they grow, it will encourage them to imitate sounds.
• Don’t make a big deal out of it when he makes phonological errors.
• Play. So you can teach the cherub the sounds of animals and their origin, among other things.

Signs for detecting problems in language development

When should you be worried if your child is not speaking? Watch out for these signs:

• When he is 12 months old, he  does not use gestures such as greeting with his hands.
• If at 18 months he does not understand words well or  does not imitate sounds.
• If at 24 months, he  does not form complete sentences or simply mimic sounds.

The most common causes of speech delays

Oral

It is likely that the delay in speech is due to  problems with the mouth, tongue or palate. Therefore, to rule out this cause, it is necessary to bring the child to a consultation with a specialist in the area.

Auditory

If a child has difficulty hearing, he will not be able to understand the language of those around him. Because of this, he could make mistakes in the articulation of the words.

Oro-motors

The child may have  problems in the areas of the brain responsible for the articulation of speech. In this case, the incoordination usually appears in the area of ​​the tongue, lips and jaw.

When should I see a specialist if my child still cannot speak?

Some parents may fail to identify a major problem when overwhelmed by the typical “Why is my child still not speaking?” Question. Once you understand that  professional help is needed to resolve the problem, it will be much easier to proceed.

After recognizing the causes of the delay, it is the pediatrician who must refer the child to a specialist. Premature intervention by the speech therapist will help the child to develop favorably.

This specialty is in charge of diagnosis, prevention and future treatments related to speech and language. Precisely the term speech therapy is composed of two words in Greek:  logos  , which means “words”, and  paideia,  which means “education”.

Finally, the therapist will work with the children to improve their language skills. In addition, he will show parents different exercises to do at home as reinforcement.