How should a child with language delays be supported?

Noticing that your baby has some of the signs of a language delay makes you nervous. Are you confused about whether your child's condition has improved? What do you need to do so that your baby can develop normally like any other child?

A child with language delay is one of the most common conditions of developmental delay in children. One in 5 children will learn to speak and use language more slowly than other children of the same age. Some children also experience behavioral problems because they feel frustrated that they cannot express in words what they need or want. Let's find out about this issue with aFamilyToday Health .

Expression of children with language delay according to each age group

If your child shows signs of unresponsive to sounds or speechless, you should see your doctor. Here are some of the signs of a baby by stage:

For children 1 year old

Know where to search and can find out where the sound is

Respond when you call out your baby's name

Know how to wave goodbye when asked

Find your destination when you hear people say, "Look at (something) baby!"

Imitate intonation (baby will babble with intonation like when we talk, raise and decrease)

Know "talk" to you, listen and pay attention to you as you talk and then start babbling in response

Knowing to say a few words to call parents or grandmother such as: "papa", "mama", "daddy", "ma", "grandma"

Can say at least one word. There are a few ways you can teach your baby to speak at this point .

Point at an object that your baby won't reach or make a sound when your baby is pointing at it to get attention.

For babies 1 - 2 years old

The hobby of 1 - 2 year olds is to follow simple requests. First, the baby will follow when the adult is talking and doing and then he can do it himself when he hears the request.

Go get objects in another room for you

Point to a few parts of the body as you recommend

Point your face towards funny objects or events that your baby sees

Bring things to show you

Point your fingers at objects and give you a signal to name them

Name a few common objects and pictures as you recommend

Enjoys acting (eg, pretending to cook). Your baby will play tricks with you or with your favorite stuffed animal or doll

Learn 1 new word each week when your baby is 1 and a half to 2 years old.

For children 2 years old

Babies can recognize more body parts and objects around them

Point to the pictures in the book

Can follow the simple request of the parents without you modeling. For example, when you tell your baby: "Put the cup on the table, baby", the baby will follow without you modeling for him.

Can say about 50 to 100 words

Can say simple sentences like: "Daddy go", "Baby doll", "Go" ...

Speak more clearly and others (except parents) can understand most of what your baby says.

There are also other signs that parents should look out for including:

Doesn't like to be cuddled like other kids

Do not smile back to you

Show indifference to parents

Be nonchalant at certain sounds. For example, your baby responds to horns, cats ringing, phone rings, but does not respond when you call their names.

It turned out like you were in a world with only a baby

Like to play alone, not to interact with other people

Does not show interest or pleasure in playing with toys, but enjoys playing with real objects in the home

Show special interest in objects that other children are not interested in. For example, babies prefer to play with flashlights or ballpoint pens rather than with stuffed animals and blankets

Can speak letters, numbers or imitate TV advertisements but cannot use language to express children's wishes

Do not show any fear

Use unusual words or phrases or repeat words heard on TV.

How should a child with a language delay be supported?

Children with language delays are sometimes just temporary. This situation will go away on its own or will improve with support from the family. Try to teach your child how to speak and encourage him to “talk” with you with gestures or sounds. Also, spend a lot of time playing with your child, reading to them, and talking to them. In some cases, your child will need help from training specialists, speech and language therapists to learn verbal expression.

It can sometimes be a warning sign of a more serious problem including: a risk of hearing loss, developmental delay or even autism . A child's language delay can be a sign of a learning disability. However, this condition is difficult to detect until the child reaches school age. It is important that families keep track of a child's language development.

Sometimes a doctor will need more information about a child before making a conclusion about the child's condition. Usually doctors will:

Ask you a few questions or ask you to fill out a questionnaire

Interact with your child in different ways to learn more about his or her development

Suggest a hearing test for your baby and refer you to take your child to a language specialist for testing. The specialist will evaluate the child's ability to express language and understand words and gestures from others.

Make an assessment of the child's condition through early intervention methods.

What should parents do when a child has a language delay?

If the cause of your child's language delay is autism, your child will also have difficulty interacting with others and may exhibit some or all of the relevant behaviors. listed above. If you are concerned that your child may have this syndrome, you can take your child to a specialist for evaluation and treatment. Experts may suggest that you give your child a speech therapy and suggest other ways to improve your child's social skills, behavior and desire to communicate.

You should seek early interventions to determine the cause of a child's language delay. Health professionals can conduct additional assessments and reassure you if your child's performance is normal or indicate early intervention is needed in your child's case, even if the diagnosis is not before. If your baby is under 3 years old, you need to take him to the doctor for support. It may include parent training and support, face-to-face treatment, and special devices used.

Parents should not be too worried when detecting that their child has signs of language delay. You need to care more about your baby and should actively cooperate with your baby's treating doctor. This will help the treatment process work more effectively.

You may be interested in the topic:

Teach your baby to learn to speak with sign language, have you tried?

How old are the children? Baby language development milestones

Slowly speaking children: Signs and teaching methods