{"id":2451,"date":"2025-02-05T10:53:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T10:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/champsnursery.com\/?p=2451"},"modified":"2025-02-05T10:53:49","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T10:53:49","slug":"how-to-know-if-your-little-one-needs-a-speech-therapist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/champsnursery.com\/?p=2451","title":{"rendered":"How to know if your little one needs a speech therapist?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If your child is suffering from speech delay, then know that you\u2019re not alone. Speech delay is a problem that 6 to 19% of children experience. It\u2019s more common among boys than little girls. This means that nearly 1 in 5 children may suffer speech delay or problems in their speech development. Serious statistics, but luckily, although speech delay is common, it\u2019s usually temporary and completely manageable.<\/p>\n

How do little ones learn to speak?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all<\/strong>, they hear other people speak.<\/p>\n

Next<\/strong>, certain areas in their brain develop; which is when they start to understand what different sounds mean.<\/p>\n

Then\u00a0<\/strong>they develop the ability to string their own baby noises, before gradually evolving to saying words and finally constructing whole sentences. Around this stage, you really can\u2019t get your kid to stop talking even if you wanted to.<\/p>\n

TO SUM UP, AVERAGE SPEECH DEVELOPMENT NEEDS GOOD HEARING, PROPER BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION, IN ADDITION TO INTACT GROWTH OF MOUTH, PALATE, TONGUE AND TEETH.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your main role as a parent comes in monitoring and encouraging the flow of this process while watching for any worrying signs that your child might need professional help.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the \u2018normal process\u2019 of speech development?<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to\u00a0speech therapist Dr. Sara Kamel<\/em><\/strong>, full development of language is completed\u00a0at the age of 7<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At 12 months,\u00a0<\/strong>your child should produce sounds like \u2018ma ma\u2019 \u2019da da\u2019 \u2018ba ba\u2019 and starts to imitate sounds.\u00a0By 2 years<\/strong>, your child has a vocabulary from 50 to 200 singular words, especially nouns like \u2018car\u2019 and \u2018shoes\u2019\u00a0By age 3<\/strong>, your child can form simple sentences like, \u2018I want ice-cream\u2019 and be able to answer questions like, \u2018Where\u2019s the puppy?\u2019 Or \u2018What\u2019s this?\u2019\u00a0By age 4<\/strong>, a child should be understood even by strangers.<\/p>\n

THE MAJORITY OF A CHILD\u2019S VOCABULARY DEVELOPS BETWEEN 2 AND 3 YEARS. AND WHILE DIFFERENT CHILDREN LEARN TO SPEAK AT A DIFFERENT PACE, ALL CHILDREN SHOULD MEET THE STANDARDS MENTIONED ABOVE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When do you need to consult a specialist?<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0At his or her first birthday\u00a0<\/strong>your child is not using their arms to point or say goodbye or they aren\u2019t making blabbering baby noises.<\/p>\n

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2.\u00a0By 2 years<\/strong>, they can only imitate other people\u2019s words, have trouble following simple verbal instructions or avoid talking altogether.<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0By age 3\u00a0<\/strong>they still haven\u2019t said a word.<\/p>\n

4. Your child has a nasal or strange voice tone.<\/p>\n

5. Your child won\u2019t\u00a0ever\u00a0<\/em>meet your eyes and refuses to play with other children.<\/p>\n

6. Your child can get absorbed rocking back and forth and humming for hours without getting
\nbored.<\/p>\n

7. Your child has a general delay in growth and development in addition to speech delay.<\/p>\n

8. Your toddler drools persistently, develops a stutter or can\u2019t form a simple 3-word sentence\u00a0by\u00a0<\/strong>age 2 and a half<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What are some medical problems that can cause speech delay?<\/strong>
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IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR CHILD TO HAVE A MEDICAL DISORDER OR SIMPLY WANT TO CHECK THEIR DEVELOPMENT IS OPTIMUM, FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR PAEDIATRICIAN OR RESORT TO A SPEECH THERAPIST FOR HELP.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What can you do at home to help your child\u2019s speech development?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Sara\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>gives the following advice on the topic:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong>\u00a0Limit the time your child spends in front of screens (like the TV, tablet or mobile phone) to ONE HOUR per DAY.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong>\u00a0Talk to your child constantly, even when still a baby.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong>\u00a0As your kid starts to grow, point to stuff around the house, in the kitchen or at the supermarket and name them constantly.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0<\/strong>When your child is speaking, make sure to look at them and smile. Show them that they have your attention, show them they\u2019re doing a good job. To your baby, your approval is the greatest reward they can hope for.<\/p>\n

5<\/strong>. Read to your child even when they\u2019re too young to understand you. Start with nursery rhymes and picture books then work yourself up to more advanced stuff like simple poetry and fairytales as they grow.<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong>\u00a0Take your child to the nursery and watch their progress over three months. Are they developing social skills? Are they learning words and songs?<\/p>\n

7.<\/strong>\u00a0Always, always, always start with ONE LANGUAGE. Yes, children can absorb many languages, but not all at the same time. Ask yourself what is your priority? Do you want your child\u2019s first language to be Arabic, English, French, etc? Start talking to them in this one nerouh \u2018bye\u2019\u00a0X\u00a0<\/strong>language only, then when they\u2019ve developed a good baseline \u2014usually at age 2 or 3\u2014 start to introduce the vocabulary of a new language.<\/p>\n

8.<\/strong>\u00a0If you talk best in Arabic, then talk to your child only in Arabic. Avoid combining different<\/p>\n

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languages into the same sentence.<\/p>\n

9<\/strong>. Avoid \u2018baby talk\u2019 at all costs! 10. Don\u2019t point the child\u2019s attention to a problem or yell or punish them. If they stutter, be patient until they find the word then act as if nothing\u2019s wrong at all. If they say a word incorrectly or refuse to speak, encourage them and praise them instead of getting angry.<\/p>\n

Has your child experienced speech delay? What\u2019s your experience? Let us know and we\u2019ll post more on speech delay on Champs Nursery Facebook page.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n