My Child is 2, yet doesn’t communicate. Does he need Speech Therapy?
“My child is almost 2 years old, yet he seems to be struggling to understand simple phrases like ‘Bring the glass’ or ‘ Close the door’ etc. Is this normal, or should I seek some help?”
Many parents encounter similar situations where the kid cannot speak or decode even the simplest of sentences, be it any language. A child must be able to comprehend at least 200 words by 2 years of age. If this isn’t the case, parents must consider getting him/her evaluated by a pediatric neurologist or neurodevelopmental pediatrician.
What is Speech Therapy?
Speech Therapy is a process where a Speech Therapists or Speech Pathologists thoroughly assesses a child’s ability to speak or understand words.
If needed, they intervene and make a full-fledged treatment plan to improve their basic speech and language competencies so that they can communicate
The therapy mainly aims at two things
Mouth synchronization
This phase involves coordinating the child’s mouth movements so that he/she can produce sounds, fabricate different words, and form various sentences or at least try to do so.
Expressing
This step targets making the child understand and express whatever he/she sees or listens to through pictures, signs, or audio forms, or through electronic or digital devices like computers or tablets.
How do I know if my child needs Speech Therapy?
It’s imperative that you keep a tab on your child’s speech and language development in the first few years. Here are a few pointers that Dr.
Arif and his team of speech therapists in Dubai mention that you may cross-check to find out if your child needs Speech Therapyappropriately.
Doesn’t babble when 4 to 6 months old
Usually, babies blabber or try communicating by making small sounds when they reach a milestone of 4 to 6 months. If your baby seems considerably silent and doesn’t make any effort to converse, he/she may have some sort of speech disorder that might need immediate evaluation.
Doesn’t gesture
If your child does not show any hand or facial gestures to point or signal out activities at the age of 7 to 12 months, it may be an apparent sign that your child needs a speech therapist.
Problems with plain verbal communication
By the age of 12 to 24 months, a child can generally follow simple instructions or requests intended for him/her. If this isn’t happening with your kid, he/she probably is facing issues due to delay in speech or speech disorder.
Issues with pronouncing certain letters
By the age of 2 or above, a child should be pronouncing sounds of letters like k, g, f, t, d, and n. He/she must also have developed the skills to form small sentences and express themselves
orally. If you see that your child is lagging regarding these attributes, you must get him/her screened for a speech disorder.
Apart from all the above conditions, some children may also experience a delay in speech if they are a child with Autism or have suffered some kind of infection or injury to the brain.
How do speech therapists help?
When a child has difficulty pronouncing words properly, it is problematic for the child, and it is also unclear for the receptor. As a result, it becomes frustrating for them both. And this problem only keeps mounting as the child grows older.
Thus, the issue must be diagnosed and resolved as soon as possible. Speech therapists work with all the personnel involved with the speech-troubled child and chart out a customized plan to teach them the skills they need to communicate aptly.
So, what exact problems do the speech therapists in Dubai help with?
- They help solve problems like articulation disorders, fluency disorders, resonance disorders, or language disorders. All these disorders are connected to situations where the child mixes up words, has trouble completing a particular word like “st, sst, ssssstory,”; mumbles in a low voice, talks through their nose, or is incapable of recalling words to create a sentence.
- The speech therapists start the treatment course casually by talking or playing with children. This may include showing them pictures, books, or objects to initiate language intervention and arouse language interest in them.
- Make them create certain sounds through age-appropriate model sounds and syllables.
- They also share proper plans or strategies with the child’s parents or caregivers, which can be followed and practiced at home.
Some more valuable tips you may try at home:
Children get easily attracted to visual pictures, and it remains in their subconscious mind. As per several research studies, over the years, children who have treated their problems with visual therapy have shown better improvement than others. This way, children will have more faith in their parents, and seeing them trying to help, children feel more enthusiastic.
However, efforts may go in vain if you do not get certified medical guidance.
Dr. Arif Khan, an expert in pediatric neurology, has been offering precise and apt treatment for speech disorders in children of different age groups for several years. So, if you are looking for a proficient speech therapist in Dubai, Dr. Arif and his super-efficient team are the ones you may always bank on. Book an appointment with Dr. Arif to get in touch with his incredible team of speech therapists in Dubai.