What is a speech disorder?
Different forms of developmental disorder: A speech or speaking disorder refers to any abnormalities in speech fluency and auditory perception (how heard sounds are processed), as well as the development of the voice and language comprehension, pronunciation, and grammatical development.
Developmental delay: Speech-language therapists generally consider language development in the context of a child's overall development. The individual pace of development is, of course, also taken into account. They generally speak of a speech disorder only when the developmental delay is at least 6-12 months compared with peers of the same age and/or when communication is severely limited by the child's speech behavior.
Causes of impaired language development
The causes of a language development disorder are varied and not always easy to identify. Sometimes there are multiple causes.
Hearing impairments: Relatively often, hearing problems or frequent middle-ear infections are the cause of a speech disorder – if a child cannot hear well, they can hardly learn to speak.
Predisposition: Some speech disorders, such as stuttering, are at least partly hereditary.
Malformations in the mouth area e.g. a cleft lip and palate can cause delays in language development.
Lack of stimulation: If parents do not communicate enough with their child, this can impair language acquisition and language development.
Psychological causes: Psychological conditions such as ADHD or autism can be responsible for speech disorders.
Neurological damage: Early childhood brain injuries, even if minimal, can affect language development.
The fact is that milder speech disorders are recognized and treated much more frequently today than in the past. Therefore the number of known speech disorders in children has apparently increased: an estimated eight percent of all preschool children have a language development disorder.
How should I respond if my child has a speech disorder?
Speech therapy: With early speech-language therapy, most speech disorders can be managed or even completely eliminated. Meanwhile, there are language support programs available within daycare services or at schools.
Strengthen self-confidence: Help your child deal confidently with the speech disorder – for example by focusing on the content of what is said rather than on form, or by highlighting your child's communicative strengths.
Be patient: Almost all children need a few years to be able to pronounce all sounds and words correctly. Many language development disorders resolve on their own over time.
Openness: Parents should neither keep the problem silent nor exaggerate it: deal openly with the speech disorder and support your child in speaking freely and often.
Advice from the pediatrician: If in doubt, the pediatrician can advise whether a language development disorder is present and whether a referral to a speech therapist is advisable.
Image credits
Therapist doing speech exercises with a child © Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com
Mother reads a story to a child and kisses the child on the head © Elena Kratovich – stock.adobe.com
