What to do when the child has a speech delay?

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Speech delay in children without timely intervention will cause children to suffer many disadvantages in daily activities, communication, and even easily ignore accompanying diseases. Therefore, parents need to understand clearly how children with speech delay should help them develop normally as children of the same age.

1. Is it okay for children to speak slowly?

One of the concerns of many parents when their child has a speech delay is "Will my child have autism?". However, not every delay in speech is autism, delayed speech can also be a sign of developmental disabilities such as language disorders, intellectual disability, hearing loss or even just a child's development. slowly, after a while it will develop normally.
Studies have shown that up to 70% of children aged 12-14 months or even 18 months are not able to speak and are determined not to have autism or other serious developmental disorders. Therefore, you do not need to worry too much, but you should not be subjective about your child's speech delay. The best way is to take your child to the doctor to determine the exact cause of this condition.

2. Children who are slow to speak, what to do?

2.1 Take your child to the doctor to find out the cause. The best way when your child has a speech delay is to take your child to a doctor for a checkup. The doctor will check the child's speech and language ability through tests to assess the child's condition:
What can the child understand? (language acquisition) Can the child express language? Does the child make gestures such as pointing, shaking his head...? Children's pronunciation ability The child's oral condition (nose, mouth, tongue, roof of the mouth...) How slow does the child speak? If the speech delay is due to a physical defect, parents need to follow the treatment instructions of the doctor. If the child is mentally retarded, parents need to improve their daily communication with their children.
2.2 Teach children to speak daily Parents need to adjust the way they communicate and the amount of time they communicate each day with their children.
For children who are just starting to learn to speak, you should initially teach them simple sounds like mom, dad... so that they can imitate them. You can also combine words and actions with actions to help children expand their vocabulary and put words and objects together. That is, when talking about something, you will point your finger to the child to see it, increase eye contact with the child.... Reading books to children is also a great idea. Look for books and stories with vivid pictures and bright colors that are appropriate for your child's age to keep them entertained. Pay attention to naming correctly and briefly everything around to match the child's perception and memory. Constantly changing objects and speaking environments to create excitement and interaction for children is also a must. Children should not watch too much TV. When watching TV, parents should watch together with their children, and at the same time comment on details, characters, and conversations to help children build language reflexes.

2.3 Let children interact with friends to stimulate communication needs In addition to teaching children to speak every day, you should encourage children to participate in games, interact with children of the same age to stimulate communication needs, make it easier for children to speak.
You can send your child to kindergarten, encourage your child to play with friends near your home or organize picnics so that your child has more opportunities to make friends. When your children are exposed to a lot of children of the same age, they will become confident, agile and have more opportunities for language development.

3. Where to check for children with speech delay?

The choice of medical facilities to examine children is also an important issue. It is necessary to choose a prestigious hospital with high professional quality and modern equipment and facilities to obtain accurate diagnosis results and reasonable treatment interventions.
Psychological Clinic - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital is a prestigious address in examination, consultation and outpatient treatment of psychological and mental health problems.
With modern equipment and a team of doctors who are lecturers in psychiatry at Hanoi Medical University, the clinic is capable of deploying psychological tests and intensive psychotherapy to serve patients. healthcare. With enthusiasm and love for the profession, the team of doctors working here always gives customers the best service with the highest quality of service. The clinic is currently cooperating with leading professors and experts of Hanoi Medical University, leading hospitals in the country and internationally to diagnose and treat in order to bring good medical examination and treatment effect. best. Location at Vinmec Times City:
Room 4063, 4th floor - Department of General Internal Medicine.
Clinic working schedule: From 8:00 to 12:00, 13:00 to 17:00.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.