Think about how cute babies babble. Many parents are amused and even make a dictionary of funny words of their children. But there are cases when the natural development of speech becomes a problem.
Each child's speech development is individualized. It is influenced by the child's environment, genetic characteristics, temperament and much more.
If parents often spout parasitic words or put the wrong accent, the child will speak with mistakes.
Cute made-up baby words are great. But at some point, you have to wonder if your child's development is progressing as it should.
There are general criteria by which you can understand whether the child's speech will correct itself or whether it is worth contacting a specialist.
Speech defects or the norm?
There are general criteria for a child's speech development. They may vary. But they are the ones you should rely on to see if your child's speech is forming correctly:
- At age 3, a child should know about 1,000 simple words and be able to form simple 6-8 word sentences from them.
- At the age of 4, the child should be able to pronounce all whistling sounds cleanly and already have a vocabulary of about 2,000 words. Speech should become increasingly literate.
- At the age of 5, a child should be able to pronounce hissing sounds and the [p] sound clearly and correctly. Problems with these sounds at age 5 should be a reason to contact a specialist.
- By the age of 6, children have completed the development of competent pronunciation of sounds. Speech should be correct, understandable, without confusion in syllables and sounds.
A child who has just started to learn to speak can make up new words by imitating adults. Sometimes these words are very funny. And this is hilarious for parents. But if the period of «invented language» is too long, it is worth thinking about diagnosis.
However, it is not only incorrect pronunciation of sounds that should alert parents. There are many other speech defects. It is worth going for a diagnosis if your child:
- Confuses syllables and sounds in words
- Confuses words that are similar in pronunciation
- Speaks too fast and «swallows» endings or whole words
- He speaks sluggishly and stretches out the words
- He's nasal, he says «up his nose.»
- Pronounces sounds sluggishly, as if the tongue doesn't move well
And, of course, pay attention to stuttering.
How to deal with speech disorders in children
Not always speech disorders can be eliminated by speech therapists. Sometimes it is also worth consulting other specialists. Depending on the type of speech defects, treatment may help:
- Psychologist
- Neurologist
- Psychiatrist
- Orthodontist
- Otolaryngologist
And sometimes it happens that children just see your reaction to their funny words and continue to make mistakes consciously. For example, if you are often amused by his pronunciation and tell everyone you know about this cute mistake. The child in this way wants to give you joy and attract your attention.
What to do if there is no progress from treatment
There are times when parents regularly take their child to classes and treat them according to all the rules, but there is no result. There are usually 2 reasons for this:
- The diagnosis is incorrect and the child is being treated by the wrong specialists
- Work is only with a specialist and no supportive sessions are provided at home
Therefore, if you unquestioningly follow all the doctor's recommendations, but still no change is visible, it is worth re-diagnosing or contacting another independent specialist.
The development of literate speech is also facilitated by regular reading. This is a very important exercise for correcting speech defects.
Does speech development need to be corrected at all
On the one hand, speech defects do not affect physical health. But on the other hand, difficulties in pronunciation significantly reduce the quality of life. A child with speech defects may be subjected to ridicule. And adults sometimes have a hard time as well.
In addition, many professions are closed to people with pronunciation problems. Remember that any child can have speech defects. But your task is to help your child get rid of the problems and give him/her a healthy and successful future.
