Delays can also be caused by neglect, abuse, or an event or circumstance that was really disruptive to development. These are atypical scenarios though that we rarely encounter. For the average parent doing their best, you can rest assured that your child's speech or language delay is definitely not your fault.
Some children have both speech and language delays. Speech and language delays can have many different causes. These causes can include hearing problems, Down syndrome or other genetic conditions, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, or mental health conditions. Delays can also run in families.
The most common causes of speech delay include: Hearing loss. Slow development. Intellectual disability.
If you're wondering, “Did I cause my child's speech delay?” - the answer is NO. But there are several things that you can do to support them! In this post we'll talk about the types of speech delay, causes of speech delay, and what you CAN do if your child has speech delay.
It is when there is consistent regression, setbacks in engagement, or disconnection in understanding verbal language that there is reason to suspect a speech delay. Around the age of 1.5 to 2 years, it is recommended that a diagnosis of delays and disorders is made and intervention is begun.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), late talkers are toddlers (18 to 30 months old) who have a limited vocabulary for their age, but do not have any other developmental delays. Some late talkers may talk by three to five years of age. These toddlers are called late bloomers.
While speech delays are very common among children with autism, they are common in children without autism as well.
Simple speech delays are sometimes temporary. They may resolve on their own or with a little extra help from family. It's important to encourage your child to "talk" to you with gestures or sounds and for you to spend lots of time playing with, reading to, and talking with your infant or toddler.
Not necessarily. While speech delays, language delays, and learning differences are often a hallmark of ASD, a speech delay by itself does not mean a child has autism. In fact, there are key differences between communication delays caused by autism and other types of speech-language disorders.
Between 20–30% of Late Talkers do not grow out of their language delay. These children have ongoing difficulties and need intervention to help them with their language and literacy skills [1]. They may receive a diagnosis of language disorder.
Studies report a link between TV and language development in young children. The more time kids spend watching television, the more slowly they learn to talk.
Angelman syndrome is a genetic disorder. It causes delayed development, problems with speech and balance, intellectual disability, and, sometimes, seizures. People with Angelman syndrome often smile and laugh frequently, and have happy, excitable personalities.
Speech and language problems are often the earliest sign of a learning disability. Hearing loss is often overlooked, and easily identified. If your child is speech/language delayed, their hearing should be tested. Extreme environmental deprivation can cause speech delay.
Eating lots of fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds as well as healthy grass-fed meat, wild game and oily fish and avoiding processed foods, can go a very long way in maintaining a healthy balance and limiting oxidative stress.
A delay in speech or language is one of the earliest signs we have for kids that do go on to get a diagnosis of ADHD later in childhood. In this 2012 study, researchers found that two-thirds of the elementary-aged kids with ADHD had a speech or language delay at 18 months.
So if your toddler is 2 or 3 years old and isn't yet talking, it's vital to go ahead and speak with their pediatrician, or with a speech-language pathologist. They will likely recommend a speech evaluation in order to assess your child's current abilities. Early intervention is so important in these situations.
Other causes of speech delay in children
Hearing problems. Apraxia of speech (speech muscle-control issues) Cognitive setbacks. Learning disabilities.
Although 3 is the age when your child should begin to leave the baby talk behind, every child develops differently. It's fine at this age for your child to still be saying three-word sentences, but the content of the sentences should change.
To be sure, most late talking children do not have high intelligence. However, there are certainly many cases on record indicating that there may be trade-offs between early, precocious development of reasoning and analytical abilities and the development of verbal skills.
Red flags for a speech or language delay include: No babbling by 9 months. No first words by 15 months. No consistent words by 18 months.