3 Tips For Helping A Child Who Is Delayed With Speech

Many children have a hard time speaking. It's not uncommon for a child to be delayed in speech. In most cases it is not cause for concern, seeing that children develop and excel at different rates. However, there are some instances where you might need to help the child with their speech. There are speech pathologists and therapists that can help your child if this is needed.

Here are a couple things you should do if your child is struggling with speech:

1. Have Their Ears Checked

One of the reasons that many children have a hard time with language is because they cannot hear. If the child is having frequent ear infections, obstruction in the ear, or a hearing impairment it will cause a speech delay. This is why around the age of two your family doctor will inquire about the child's speech at their 2-year well child check-up.

During this appointment you should talk to the doctor about any concerns that you have with your child's hearing. If necessary the doctor will recommend speech therapy or seeing an ear, nose and throat doctor for further investigation on their ears.

2. Read More With The Child

Many people do not realize that when they talk to a child they use different words and sounds. They might do their own little form of "baby talk" to communicate. One of the best ways to expose the child to different sounds is through reading. Children who are read to have a greater chance for developing vocabulary and language.

This does not mean that if your child is having a hard time with speech you are failing to read to them. It simply means the more your can expose the child to new sounds, new sentences and words, the more likely they will to excel in language.

3. Do Speech Therapy in The Home

If you opt for speech therapy it is important that you continue treatment in the home. Your appointments for speech therapy will only be an hour or two a week. In order to get real improvement you must try to continue the same techniques and exercises at home.

The best improvement with speech will come by you implementing these techniques in the home rather than relying on a doctor or therapist to make the changes. Although it is hard, it will be worth it.

By doing these things you can help your child with their language development. To learn more, contact a company like Eastern Carolina Ear Nose & Throat-Head with any questions or concerns you have.