The development and formation of speech in each child occurs individually, depending on many factors. You should not compare one baby with another, but you need to clearly understand the difference between the norm and pathology in development. If there are alarm signals in the childās speech delay, you may need the help of specialists if you canāt deal with the problem on your own.
What are the signs of delayed speech development in children under 3 years old? And when to sound the alarm? This will be discussed in the article.
Norms of development of speech in a child
Initially, every healthy baby is born unable to speak. All communication with his parents occurs through different intonations of crying. And only with time and with proper care does the formation and development of speech occur, which consists of a number of stages. Each of them is important, and without completing one, the child will not be able to master the following. The main task of parents is to recognize and help in time if the child has difficulties.
Normal speech development is considered if at the age of 2 to 5 months the child begins to walk. From three to five, learns to pronounce individual syllables, entering into the babble period. From 11 months the first words appear. At the age of 2-3 years, the child is able to build the first simple sentences. From the age of three, a child is able to build his thoughts in a coherent small text, memorize and retell short poems.
The formation of speech in the first year of life
The first year of life is very important for the proper process of becoming a child's speech. During this period, his brain, hearing, and organs of speech are actively developing. A harmonious combination of these components allows you to talk about the health of the baby. Hearing someone else's speech, he tries to copy first the intonation of the speaker, and then make similar sounds and syllables.
The first months of life, the child makes sounds unconsciously, gradually training his speech apparatus. Then he begins to pronounce these sounds in a chant, passing into the stage of booming. From three months, the baby answers, imitating the adult, in separate syllables, and by the half year clearly pronounces separate sound combinations. By 9 months, the baby is babbling. During this period, he develops articulation, he tries to repeat certain words for adults. Speech hearing, perception of objects, understanding of the adult's appeal to it are improving.
By the end of the first year of life, the baby is already able to repeat individual words. Its vocabulary has about 10 words, consisting of the same type of syllables. The circle of recognizable objects has expanded. He recognizes by the names of close people, is able to distinguish who is depicted in the picture.
Speech development from one to three years
From the age of a child begins to actively move in space, interact with a large number of objects. This cannot but affect the development of his speech. The first words appear that indicate actions, so far in a generalized form. Passive vocabulary is wider, gradually words from it become active. A child with the help of an adult, when interacting with various objects, learns to generalize them.
After a year and a half, the first simple sentences appear in the childās speech, often consisting of two or three words. Then the baby learns the plural, and by the age of two uses the case form. The delay in speech development in children 3 years old is diagnosed if the child does not know how. But is it worth it to panic right away? To begin with, it is important to find out the reason.
Reasons for rejection
Why is there a delay in speech development in children? The reasons may be different. For effective correction of problems in the childās speech, it is necessary to clearly identify the problem and turn to the right specialist. Scientists identify the main reasons:
- Development problems in the prenatal period.
- Birth injury.
- Head injuries at an early age.
- Psychological trauma, delayed neuropsychic development.
- Hearing problems.
- Limited adult and child communication.
It's no secret that the childās health is laid during the pregnancy of a woman, when all organs are formed, the brain develops, which is responsible for the formation and development of speech in the future. Infectious diseases, injuries, antibiotic treatment, an unhealthy lifestyle of the expectant mother can adversely affect not only the baby's health, but also the development of his psyche. Numerous studies also prove a negative effect on the speech of the child that occurs during birth injuries. And then there may be a delay in speech development in children 3 years of age and older.
Head injuries at an early age, concussion, severe infectious diseases with complications, stress, neurosis - all this can affect both the development of the childās body as a whole and speech in particular.
Hearing problems are very detrimental to the development and formation of speech. In this case, there is a delay in speech development in children 3 years old. It is impossible to teach a child to reproduce sounds if he does not hear and understand them. Perhaps this is just a temporary phenomenon associated with a disease, an inflammation of the ear or the presence of sulfur plug. Or is it a serious ailment, such as hearing loss. Depending on the degree of the disease, the correct treatment is prescribed by an otolaryngologist.
It is known that the delay in speech development in children of 3 years is eliminated by its constant contact with adults. Parents talk with their child long before he learns to answer them. These they stimulate the brain, positive emotions, and hence speech. It is noticed that those children who, for whatever reason, are deprived of the opportunity to communicate, start talking much later.
The development of speech of children 3-4 years: normal and delay
Up to three years of age, the diagnosis of "delayed speech development" (ZRR) is very rare, in most cases with various concomitant diseases. If there are reasons for concern, then a timely call to a specialist can completely solve the problem. Particular attention should be paid if the baby does not seek interaction with other children. He is not accepted into the game, because his speech is incomprehensible to others. The child is in a hurry and swallows some of the words. He cannot answer simple questions. It does not recognize and cannot name simple objects. If these symptoms are present, the child needs help. It is likely that these problems may disappear after simple exercises with parents. If there is no result from classes after a short time, you should contact a specialist.
Delay in the development of speech in babies up to five years
After 4 years, there is a high probability of a transition from a delay in speech development to a delay in psycho-speech development (ZPRR). This is due to the fact that underdevelopment of speech inhibits the development of thinking, and vice versa, problems in mental development inhibit the normal formation of speech in a child. Success in the development of speech depends on the selected methods for the treatment and correction of ZPRR. However, it is noted that after the age of five, the chance of completely eradicating speech deficiencies drops sharply. And after 6 years, it is only 0.2%.
Symptoms of a Problem
How to find out that a child really has a delay in speech development? How to recognize deviations? Scientists and specialists identify 10 main features:
- The absence of a ārevitalization reaction" for an adult up to 4 months.
- Lack of babble up to 9 months.
- Problems with chewing and swallowing up to one and a half years.
- Lack of simple words and misunderstanding of elementary teams up to one and a half years.
- Vocabulary does not expand by two years.
- Inability to make simple sentences in two words by 2.5 years.
- Indiscriminate, hasty or overly slow speech by the age of three.
- Inability to make own sentences in 3 years or use of adult phrases.
- Misunderstanding the simple explanations of an adult after three years.
- Constantly open mouth and profuse salivation, not associated with teething.
Delayed speech development - when do you need to sound the alarm?
Speech development has rather blurred boundaries. You should not constantly compare your child with other children. The process of speech formation is purely individual. Scientists also recorded that boys start talking a little later than girls. However, the percentage of delays in speech development in boys is higher.
If a child at the age of three understands perfectly the adult, fulfills his requests, and he has no delays in mental development, then you should not panic. If the baby suffers only speech, then the reason lies in the individual readiness for the formation of speech. If the child does not speak at all or very little after three years, or his speech is not clear, then this is a serious reason to contact a specialist.
Methods of therapy and correction
Methods for the treatment of speech retardation:
- Medication.
- Classes with specialists.
If during the examination by specialists, for example, a pediatric neurologist, the child is diagnosed with brain damage, then, as a rule, medication is prescribed. It goes in parallel with the lessons of a speech therapist, massage therapist, child psychologist, if the situation requires it.
Specialists helping children with speech retardation
Parents should not panic, as the delay in speech and speech development in the child is treated. A number of specialists are involved in this:
- Speech therapist.
- Defectologist.
- Neurologist.
- Audiologist.
- Psychologist.
Each parent should know when and why it is necessary to consult a particular doctor. Speech therapists help put the correct sound pronunciation, massage the speech muscles, improve diction.
Defectologists often work in tandem with a speech therapist, the main task of these specialists is to eliminate developmental problems in children with mental and (or) physical disabilities.
A neurologist will diagnose and help identify or rule out brain damage. Psychologists help to develop memory, attention, fine motor skills of hands, to cope with psychological traumas that entailed delays in the development of speech.
An audiologist is a doctor who helps treat a hearing disorder.
Prevention
The delay in speech development in a child of 3-5 years old is extremely unpleasant for the whole family. The most effective work to prevent this problem is to constantly communicate with mom, adults, create good conditions for the development of the baby as a whole, constantly communicate with your child, read books to him, memorize poems. An important role in the development of speech is played by the fine motor skills of hands - drawing, modeling from plasticine, finger and didactic games. All of these methods are available for sale at home. Even if the signs of delayed speech development in children under 3 years of age are completely absent, a maximum of communication is still necessary to avoid future problems.