My Son Still Doesn’t Speak. Should I Be Concerned?

When a baby reaches a certain age and still doesn’t speak, do you need to worry? This is the dilemma many parents find themselves in when their little one doesn’t utter a single word. We’ll tell you in this article what are some signs you should pay attention to and how to proceed in these cases.

There comes a time in the baby’s growth when parents assess the child’s development and some concerns begin to surface. “He’s two years old and still doesn’t speak, he just says a few words” is a typical expression of concern. What to do in these cases?

Of course, there is an average of when a child should start to speak his first words. However, each individual has their own pace to carry out each activity without affecting their development.

From an early age, every human being expresses conditions that reveal the perfect order of his natural development. For example, looking for voices around, spontaneously babbling and laughing, among other actions, reflect that there are no speech or hearing problems.

Often times, the reason a child does not make sounds or pronounce correctly is because of the upbringing he received. So, the child shows this behavior just out of laziness or being spoiled.

In spite of that, this internal voice that torments: “My son (my daughter) still doesn’t speak” generates anguish in the parents. They find it hard to believe that it’s because of laziness and, therefore, they wait a long time before looking for a specialist to correctly diagnose their children.

If the child is already two years old and speaks few or no words, it is time to seek help from a pediatrician. He will be able to verify correct speech development.

In this sense, it is important to carry out the diagnosis as soon as possible . Often, the delay in language development can mean a major disorder.

Likewise, it is worth noting that for positive language stimulation in children, parents must accompany the process at all times. Reading stories or stories and being in constant contact during the day to strengthen communication from an early age helps to improve speech.

Tips for parents of children with speech problems

Far from taking a passive attitude, if your child still doesn’t speak, you can get involved in the matter and help him develop this ability. Do you want to know how?

• The little ones learn the language by listening to the people around them, mainly by imitation. You will always be the example: speak clearly and calmly.
• Invest quality time in communicating with your children. From breastfeeding and continuously during growth, induce your children to imitate sounds.
• Don’t celebrate when you make phonological mistakes.
• Play with your kids! This way you will be able to teach the sound that animals make, among other things.

Signs that characterize language development problems

When should you start worrying if your child still doesn’t speak? Look out for the following signs:

• When at 12 months of age the child still does not make gestures such as “bye” with their hands.
• If at 18 months of age, he still does not understand words well or does not imitate sounds.
• If at 24 months he does not speak complete sentences or only imitates sounds.

Most common causes of speech delays

oral

It is likely that the delay in speech is due to problems with the mouth, tongue or palate. Therefore, to rule out this cause, it is necessary to take the child to an appointment with a specialist in the area.

auditory

If a child is not listening well, he will not be able to understand the language that is spoken around him. For this reason, you can make mistakes in articulating words.

Orals – engines

When there are problems in areas of the brain responsible for the articulation of speech, there is usually a lack of coordination between the tongue, lips and jaw.

When should I see a specialist if my child still doesn’t speak?

It may be that some parents do not identify that there is a bigger problem when they think “Why doesn’t my child speak yet?”. Once they understand that professional help is needed to deal with the problem, the path will be much easier.

After recognizing the causes that cause the delay, the pediatrician should refer the child to a specialist .  A quick intervention from the speech therapist will help the child to develop positively.

This specialty is responsible for diagnosis, prevention and future treatments related to speech and language.

Finally, the therapist will work with the children to improve their language skills.  Likewise, it will indicate to parents several exercises that should be performed at home as reinforcement.