I notice that there are a lot of children who are having speech and language difficulty. Speech is a verbal expression such as the way words are formed and language is a broader system of expressing and receiving information to be able to understand gestures.
The following are some of the possible causes of language and speech delays:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – it is a neurological disorders which cause impaired communication as well as impaired communication and cognitive skills
- Dysarthria, a disorder which cause a problem with the muscles controlling speech
- Hearing loss. It causes severe middle ear infections, result of certain medications, trauma or genetic disorders
- Children who expose to more than one language which may cause mild speech and language delay but not delays by the time they reach school age
- Learning disability. It is a problem that affects how a person receives and process information.
- A child abuse or neglect, if a child is abused or neglected and does not hear others speaking so they are not learn to speak
- Neurological problems such as Celebral Palsy, muscular dystrophy, and traumatic brain injury that affects the muscle needed for speaking
- Apraxia of Speech, a child may have difficulty in sequencing and executing speech movements
- Auditory processing disorder, a problem with decoding speech sounds
- Prematurity, affects developmental delays which includes speech and language problem
- Cleft lip or cleft palate which can interfere normal speech
It is very essential to identify speech and language problems early so your child can begin treatment the soonest possible time. A child should be tested early by a professional for the right treatment. A child’s treatment include a doctor, an audiologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist and/or a social worker.