Slowly speaking children: Signs and teaching methods

Teaching children to learn to speak is an interesting thing for parents when it comes to raising children. However, if your child has a problem with speech delay, recognizing the signs and having effective teaching methods will help you to improve this condition. Join aFamilyToday Health to learn more about children with speech delay.

Speech is verbal expression with pronunciation and words to be clear. Language is what the child understands from receiving information. Thereby, children can know what is verbal language, what is written language.

Speaking and writing are different, but they also have similarities. For example, a child with a language delay can pronounce words well but they can only put two words together. As for children with speech delay, they can use words and phrases to express but very difficult to understand.

What is the cause of slow speech?

A normal child's speech delay can be caused by problems with the tongue and palate. The brain is responsible for words. If the brain does not coordinate the activities of the lips and tongue, the baby will have problems with slow development of speaking skills.

Besides, hearing problems are also related to slow speech. If a child has a hearing problem, he or she may have difficulty speaking, understanding, imitating, and using language. In particular, ear infection is a chronic infection that affects hearing. If hearing is normal or at least one ear can be heard, the child's speech will develop normally.

Stages of developing speaking skills in children

Age children develop speech and language skills may vary ¹ . During a routine checkup, your doctor will observe to know what developmental milestones your baby has achieved.

1. Child period before 12 months

Around 9 months, babies begin to pronounce proficiently and use different intonations to call “ma ma” or “ba ba” even though they don't understand what that word means. When they are nearly 1 year old, children can say words related to their surroundings by paying attention to ambient sounds and begin to recognize names of common objects such as bottles, balls ... but not responding to sound, maybe your baby's hearing is malfunctioning.

2. Child period from 12 - 15 months

Children at this age can speak different sounds p, b, m, n. In addition, they can also imitate sounds or audible words such as "ghost" or "ba ba". The first words babies can say are usually "baby", "ball". Children can also say simple sentences like "Give me a toy" ...

3. Child period from 18 - 24 months

Most children can speak about 20 words at 18 months. By age 2, children can say 50 words and put 2 words together to form simple sentences, such as: "Baby crying" or "Big dad". A 2 year old child can identify common objects in humans and in pictures. For example, your child may point out his eyes, ears, and nose when you ask questions and they may also be able to understand the requests you make.

4. Solve the kids from 2 - 3 years old

Talking often by children can increase their vocabulary. When they learn many words, children can combine them together to form sentences. When 3 years old, children's understanding also increases somewhat. At this time, children can understand commands like "Put it on the table" or "Put it under the bed". In addition, children also have the ability to distinguish colors and understand the concept of comparison (big, small ...).

Diagnose the child with speech delay and treatment

If you suspect your child has a speech delay or a language delay , it is best to have your baby checked by the doctor. The doctor will assess the child's speaking and language skills through a specialized test. You can also find your own language pathologist for advice or seek special care for your child.

The doctor will assess the baby's speech and language ability through the following items:

What can you understand (language acquisition)?

Can you speak (expressive language)?

Do you have gestures like pointing, shaking your head ... or not?

Develops sound and clarity in speech.

The child's oral health (whether the nose, mouth, palate works well for talking like chewing and swallowing).

Based on this result, the doctor will tell you about your child's medical condition and recommend treatment for your child. Linguists will work with your child to improve language problems and guide you on what to do to make them better.

Teaching method for slow speech children for parents

Parental support in teaching your baby to speak is an important part of improving your child's condition. Here are some ways to encourage speech retardation children:

Spend a lot of time talking with your baby. When your child is young, you can talk and sing and have your child imitate the sounds and gestures.

Reading to your kids is also not a bad idea, and should be done from a young age. Find books or stories that are appropriate for your child's age. You can let your baby listen to Pat and Bunny stories and have him imitate actions like clapping. Then you can have your child point to recognizable pictures and let them name them. Also, ask your child to predict what will happen next. Young children can memorize stories they love.

Besides, you can also use everyday situations to improve your child's language skills. Talk to your child throughout the day, for example, say the names of the foods in the store, explain to them what you are doing while cooking (gourd, cook vegetables, cook rice, stewed meat) and clean the room. Or tell your child what sounds they are listening to.

It is essential to detect speech delays in children. With the above methods, your child will gradually improve and integrate with the people around him.

Please refer to the article " Teaching children to speak: Milestones mark the development of children " when teaching children to speak!

aFamilyToday Health  does not offer medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.