Delayed Speech Development

 What is delayed speech development?
 We refer to delayed speech development when this development deviates from certain standards. Although there can be a lot of variation in speech development, it is still possible to determine certain minimum standards of speech.
A young baby can only cry: After five or six weeks they begin to make long or short noises which may coincidentally sound like speech tones: After around eight months a baby will start to listen to the sounds in his environment, and the babbling will begin to sound like language that surrounds it. When the child is between one year and eighteen months old, the first meaningful words will come, often not well pronounced. At around the age of two the child will use two-word phrases. At three years of age the child should be understood by others outside the direct environment, and at around five mot sounds should be spoken correctly.

Delayed speech development can be caused in different ways. For example, there may be deviations in the tongue, lips or palate. Neurological damage, problems in hearing, a language handicap, or simply an environment which does not encourage speech can all be problems which hinder speech development.

Ordinarily it is the parents or guardians who become concerned with their child’s speech at one time: it is at this point that advice from a speech therapist should be called for. Professional help should also be sought if the child becomes withdrawn because it is not understood.

What does the speech therapist do?
 The speech therapist is a professional in the area of speech, and will investigate which disorders influence the child’s speech. In some cases this involves examination by a paediatrician or Ear Nose and Throat specialist.
Speech therapy treatment can be direct or indirect. Indirect therapy involves the therapist instructing and guiding the parents or guardians towards the best way of stimulating their child to speak. It is important in this case, for instance, that they do not continuously correct the child’s speech, and for them to try and speak in short, clear sentences.
In direct therapy treatment the exchange between child and therapist is central. The speech therapist will try to initiate words from the child with well spoken sounds as if playing a game. The parents or guardians will be advised on which speech exercises to practice at home.

Delayed speech development can be treated well; the result depends, among other things, on the cause.The investigation and treatment for delayed speech development will, as a rule, be reimbursed by medical insurance, and almost every individual health insurance company, provided it has been recommended by a doctor or medical specialist.