Tips For Helping Children With Communication Difficulties
Communication is a characteristic as distinctive as it is elementary for people. The impossibility of communicating can be very damaging. Here are some tips to help children with communication difficulties.
Most children talk, scream, ask and cry. But some of them have difficulties expressing their feelings and that can be really limiting. Children who have difficulty communicating can suffer greatly if they are not given adequate help.
Having language or speech problems also entails learning, psychological and social problems that can affect any child. The simplest health problems can become dangerous because we have difficulty understanding the magnitude of pain and other symptoms.
Dysphonia, dyslalia, stuttering and selective mutism are some speech disorders. Other simple language delays and aphasia are problems that are language-related, although not language-specific. Each of these frames have different origins and, therefore, different forms of treatment.
identifying the problem
There are many problems with speech, voice and language that a child can have. Sometimes it may be a problem associated with physical health and other times it may involve more of a psychological issue. There are targeted treatments and others that are side effects of more serious conditions like autism.
Parents must be very observant and pay attention to their children’s behavior. If patterns repeat themselves, it’s time to consult a professional who specializes in the subject. The observations of family members and educators have a lot of influence.
The period between two and three years of age is essential to identify deficiencies in language development. An initial visit to the psychologist can indicate problems such as selective mutism and stuttering. However, the speech therapist is the specialist responsible for treating children with communication difficulties.
In case you notice any deficiency in a child’s development, the ideal is to seek specialized help as soon as possible.
What will the child speech therapist do?
Speech therapy is the discipline responsible for the study of language and speech problems. In this sense, a speech therapist will analyze, diagnose and propose a treatment for children who have problems related to communication.
This specialist works on the cognitive aspect, as well as the physical disabilities that communication disorders generate. The procedure will always comply with the specific characteristics of the children and the social environment.
The speech therapist can even treat problems related to the wrong pronunciation of words. They also have the power to interfere with reading and writing. That’s why they are the ideal specialists to treat cases of dyslexia.
Four years old: the turning point
At the age of four, the construction of words, dialogues and expressions is already quite elaborate. During this phase, parents may notice the repetition of errors that evidence a child’s speech problem. Teachers themselves can alert parents too.
By age five, a child’s language is often quite complex and defined. The accent, pronunciation, mouth movements and voice will allow you to notice if something is not right.
For these reasons, at this age, the ideal is to act and not wait for the problem to resolve itself. On the contrary, over time it will become more difficult to make corrections, as the language becomes more and more internalized.
Do not put pressure on children with communication difficulties.
Not having a correct diagnosis can lead us to assume little understanding postures that can harm children. First-time parents should pay close attention to this aspect, as they have no previous experience. Not knowing how to handle the situation well can trigger high-impact psychological problems.
It is very easy to confuse a problem with concentration on learning with an inability to execute speech. Thus, before issuing an unreasonable judgment, the ideal is to observe and be moderate. The purpose of this posture is to avoid any possibility of trauma.
What many people overlook is that children with communication difficulties are often victims of constant bullying and abuse. Child patients experience feelings such as anxiety, introversion, low self-esteem, low sociability and feelings of anger. All of this can accompany a person into adulthood.
In conclusion, children who have problems communicating must be diagnosed, protected and treated for their personal development. Few conditions are insurmountable and all can show great improvement with good treatment.
