Speech Delays in Toddlers

Speech delay is an abnormality that is commonly seen in babies who are not able to develop the ability to produce speech at the appropriate age i.e., 18 months. Speech in turn is defined as the process of producing any kind of sound by making efficient use of ascending speech organs like the lungs, vocal cords, the buccal cavity, the tongue and teeth. It is very different from language delay and should not be confused either wise. Though, medically, 18 months is the age, when toddlers are supposed to have at least 15 words in their vocabulary, development of speech differs individually. However, when toddlers don't respond to colors, people or surroundings with understandable words till the age of 2 years, these could be warning signs of speech delay. Read more about the types, causes and how to cope with this speech delays in toddlers, from the paragraphs mentioned below.

Types of Speech Delays in Toddlers

• Before sharing the causes of speech delays in toddlers, I would like to tell you more about the types of this disorder. There are two main types or categories in which it is classified, viz; expressive delays and receptive delays.
• The first type or expressive speech delays are defined as the delay caused due to the inability of the child to produce speech, by putting together all the sound organs of the body.
• The next type or the receptive speech delay is the result of the inability of the child to understand certain sounds and produce them on its own. Speech delays in bilingual toddlers are usually of this type. Many a time, children may have both these types together and thus, they are unable to produce any desired sound or speech.
• When these types of speech delays are observed in children above 18 months of age, it is advised that parents should get them checked, as ignoring this delay can lead to further developmental activities including learning.

Causes of Speech Delays in Children

• As mentioned above, the age for children to start talking may vary individually and thus, if there are speech delays which are observed, there might be different causes.
• When a toddler can't imitate certain sounds or words by the age of 2 years, it is considered to be a sign of delayed speech and speech therapy for children should be immediate. However, treating this disorder is not easy and varies with the causes of the delay.
• One of the causes could be oral impairments, where the child may suffer from a physical problem in his mouth. Kids who have a cleft palate or an extra fold underneath their tongue can't move their tongue properly, failing to produce sound from the vocal cords and lungs. This may lead to oral motor issues, where the brain fails to communicate and even though the child understands a language, he/she can't process it.
• Children with hearing problems could also suffer from speech delays, because, they can't hear sounds or words to imitate them appropriately. Even though they are able to lip read, the process of learning is very slow and minimum.
• Developmental problems such as autism, mental retardation and auditory processing disorder can also be one of the major causes of speech delays. This is because, the brain of the child hasn't developed as much as it should have with age, thus the ability to grasp, analyze and produce is shunted.

How to Help Such Toddlers?

• For parents, dealing with speech delays in toddlers, could be frustrating and is a matter of concern, but this disorder can surely be corrected as it is not permanent. No matter what the cause of speech delay is, the child depends on parent's guidance and teaching, thus you can make efforts for the same.
• To start with, parents can teach their children the way a particular sound is created, by making a loud and clear sound of alphabets. Giving them colorful examples of each of the 26 alphabets could also be helpful. Repeat each sound more than 5 times, so that your child gets a clear idea.
• Communicate with your child as much as you can, ask them questions, tell them about your activities, show them things and objects and pronounce words clearly and loudly. Appreciate the attempts your child makes it creating a sound, so that he/she feels encouraged to try again.
• You can teach them how to write and pronounce the letter so that they can register what they see and imitate exactly the same shape. Don't rush into teaching them everything at once, but go slow and steady.

With this information about speech delays in toddlers, hope you have gained enough knowledge and help from the article. So, make sure you teach your baby his/her first words and don't worry if you hear them a little late.