Do you suffer from your child's inability to speak fluently or understand your instructions easily?
What are language and speech disorders in children?
Language and Speech Disorders in children is a problem that affects the child’s ability to express and understand others. It also includes the inability to pronounce speech correctly. Studies have proven that there is indeed a difference between language disorders and speech disorders in children, even if there are cases that may combine the two.
The difference between language disorders and speech disorders
The difference between language disorders and speech disorders is that the language disorder is related to the child’s weak ability to express his thoughts in words, and the failure to understand or receive what is said to him by others, while the speech disorder is more complex and includes speech disorder, stuttering, or changing the voice during speech, and having difficulty coordinating the muscle movements of speech.
Types of language and speech disorders in children
We learn in detail about the types of language and speech disorders in children, which have been detailed and divided by doctors and specialists:
First: Types of language disorders
Types of language disorders are divided into three different types:
1. Expressive language disorder: The child has difficulty expressing himself and his feelings verbally, and is unable to form intelligible sentences, so he uses limited vocabulary and disorganized sentences.
2. Receptive language disorder: Here the child listens to the speech of others and cannot receive the speech well and does not understand the intent of others.
3. Mixed disorder: This disorder combines expressive and receptive, so the child cannot express what is inside him and does not understand the intent of the person speaking to him.
Second: Types of speech disorders
As for the types of speech disorders, we mention the 4 most prominent types that affect children:
- Speech disorder: This includes difficulty pronouncing some sounds or letters, such as the letter s or r.
- Dysarthria: This means that the child suffers from a weakness or neurological disorder that affects the muscles during speech.
- Stuttering: This means that the child repeats a word, prolongs the sound, or suddenly stops while speaking.
- Voice disorder: It includes a problem with the pitch or tone of the voice, such as a hoarse voice.
Get to know The top 5 reasons for delayed speech in children
Causes of language and speech disorders in children
The causes of language and speech disorders in children are many and different, the most important of which are:
- A hearing problem, such as hearing loss, is one of the most common causes.
- Delayed normal growth of the child or presence of a mental disability, which affects the development of speech and language.
- A child with some degree of autism finds it difficult to understand non-verbal cues such as tone of voice.
- Some psychological factors, such as feeling anxious, or the child being exposed to psychological trauma, lead to stuttering.
- The child does not grow up in an environment that helps him speak, such as not communicating with family and sitting for long periods in front of screens.
- A child who has congenital deformities such as a tongue-tie problem, or deformities of the mouth and roof of the throat, leading to the inability to speak.
Symptoms of language and speech disorders in children
Symptoms of language and speech disorders in children vary depending on the type and cause of the disorder, but there are clear and common signs that can be easily noticed, including:
- Difficulty forming long, intelligible sentences.
- Repeat words or repeat the sentence more than once.
- The child finds it difficult to describe or name things.
- Failure to implement parental instructions and showing lack of understanding and neglect.
- The child cannot initiate conversations with others and interrupts excessively.
- At the age of one year, a child cannot make clear sounds and cannot say “mama” or “dada.”
- A child at the age of two years cannot form a sentence and his number of words may be less than 50 words.
- A child may reach the age of 3 years and his speech is completely incomprehensible and he utters disjointed and incomplete sentences.
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When should you consult a speech pathologist?
You should consult a speech pathologist if you notice the symptoms of language and speech disorders in the child that we mentioned above, in addition to noticing the child’s inability to integrate or interact with children and cannot play collectively, or there are many skills that he lacks and he is used to interacting with you by pointing only and does not prefer to speak.
The earlier the medical consultation is given, i.e. from the age of one and a half or two years, the better the outcome becomes. The doctor usually resorts to individual communication sessions and performs pronunciation and linguistic formation exercises to strengthen the child’s language, in addition to relying on treatment through appropriate play to develop some of the skills that the child needs.
Methods of diagnosing language and speech disorders in children
Language and speech disorders in children are diagnosed by a speech-language pathologist through organized methods, the most important of which are:
- Clinical evaluation of the child and parents through an interview to learn about the child’s development and symptoms.
- Imaging the organs responsible for speech, such as the throat and tongue, to ensure that there is no birth defect in the child.
- Observing the child’s behavior, his way of speaking to others and understanding them, and observing the pronunciation of letters and the arrangement of sentences.
- Language and speech tests using some scientific tools such as the Denver test or the Beers scales to evaluate speech skills.
- Audiometry test by an ear and nose doctor to ensure that the child does not have a hearing loss problem.
- Referral to a psychiatrist and a developmental and behavioral specialist if a problem in the child’s development or a psychological condition such as autism is noticed.
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7 tips to enhance a child’s linguistic and speech skills
Learn about the 7 most important tips to enhance a child’s linguistic and speech skills, presented to you by doctors and specialists at Al-Mousa Specialist Hospital in Al-Ahsa:
- Talk to your child all the time. Tell him everything you are doing to strengthen his speaking skills.
- Read him a story daily, preferably a simple story with colorful pictures and easy words.
- Use some meaningful children's songs that strengthen his memory, while acting out some movements.
- Ask your child open-ended questions and leave him complete freedom to answer and express in his own way with some guidance.
- Reduce the number of hours in front of screens and encourage him to interact with family and friends more than watching.
- Allow him to make choices with the instructions directed to him, so they should not be in the imperative form, but rather a choice between matters.
- Reduce the psychological pressure and tension on the child to improve his psychological state and reward him with a hug and a smile if he talks to you.
Do not worry. Al-Mousa Specialist Hospital in Al-Ahsa can help you get rid of language and speech disorders in children using the latest known and internationally approved methods and techniques. There is a specialized center for treating children in safe and effective ways and it includes a group of speech-language pathologists and psychiatrists, which provides your child with a suitable and gentle environment. With us, you are safe.
Frequently asked questions
Below we answer the most common questions about language and speech disorders in children
When do I know that my child is late in talking?
You can find out if your child is late in speaking by determining his age, the number of words he speaks, the extent to which he understands instructions, and the way he asks for things, whether by pointing or speaking.
What vitamin helps with speech?
There is no specific vitamin that alone helps with speech, but it requires consulting a specialist doctor and conducting speech sessions while giving the child some auxiliary vitamins such as Omega 3, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B12.
What methods are used to reduce speech and speech disorders?
Among the most important methods used to reduce speech and speech disorders, which are followed by specialists at Al Mousa Hospital, are communication sessions, the use of picture cards, and internationally approved therapeutic programs and applications.
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