Why does a child often talk less when he starts to walk?
As your baby grows, it goes through certain stages of speech development. Initially, the main message is to cry or scream. A few months old baby begins to babble. There are sequences of the syllables "mamama" "bababa". A one-year-old child can usually say: "mama", sometimes "daddy" or "baba". Parents' anxiety is often caused by the observation that when the child stands upright and takes the first steps, he or she speaks less. This is a very important moment in the development of a child's speech - the so-called passive speech, i.e. understanding words, commands. However, if this condition persists for more than a few weeks, it is worth consulting a speech therapist who will assess whether the child requires additional stimulation or, for example, a hearing test.
When with a two-year-old to a speech therapist?
A toddler, at the age of 2, should pronounce all vowels and simple consonants, eg b, p, t, d, k. Usually he can combine words, eg: "mama am" "tata da". How to find out when to see a speech therapist with a two-year-old? If a child, at this age, does not understand simple commands, does not connect words or uses his own "code", it is a signal that it is necessary to consult a specialist and introduce appropriate exercises.
Preschooler at a speech therapist
A pre-school child may need speech therapy for various reasons - during this period the development of speech is particularly intense.
- Three-year-old can usually put words into simple sentences. A lot of sounds appear in speech, although in the pronounced consonant groups some are still omitted. However, this is not an abnormality. If, on the other hand, the toddler during articulation he slips his tongue between his teeth, it is not worth waiting "until he gets over it", but go to a speech therapist who will help correct this anomaly.
- Four-year-old he willingly talks about his observations, emotions and experiences. At this stage, disfluency in the form of stuttering while speaking may appear. It is most often caused by the still imperfect motor skills of the articulation organs, which still “learn” to perform all articulation complexities. Although this jamming may sound quite disturbing to the parent, it is actually not a threat and will disappear on its own. However, if speech disfluency persists or stuttering is accompanied by the child's anxiety, it is worth visiting a speech therapist.
- Between 4 and 5 years of age usually the sounds / sz /, / ż /, / cz /, / dż / appear. It is important that a five-year-old be able not only to utter these sounds, but also to listen the difference between e.g. the sounds / s / and / sz/. This is important for the upcoming learning to read and write.
- Five-year-old usually speaks already all the sounds. The sound / r / may be an exception here. It is a difficult to articulate the so-called vibration, which requires not only the vertical positioning of the tongue, but also a very precise movement of its tip (the so-called apex)
When the pronunciation of "r" in children?
Parents are often concerned about the pronunciation of the sound / r / in children. Głoska / r / may appear very early - it happens that a XNUMX-year-old says "fish" beautifully. Usually, however, it appears in the pronunciation of around 5-6 years of age. Only in the initial stage of articulation development it can be replaced by the sound / j /. Later, in place of the / r / the sound / l / should appear. So if a five-year-old speaks / r / into / j /, that is, instead of a fish he says jiba, and instead of a bicycle one, it is necessary to start speech therapy.
Speech therapist after ENT procedures
Not only that, abnormalities in the process of speech development are the reason why it is worth visiting a speech therapist. Often, a specialist is referred to small patients after ENT procedures: adenoidectomy (removal of the third tonsil) or tonsillectomy (removal of the palatine tonsils). As a result of these treatments anatomical conditions in the nasopharynx change, which may result in temporary disturbances in the sound of the child's speech. The speech therapist includes appropriate exercises to help young patients return to normal speech.
Speech therapist and orthodontic treatment
When else is it worth using a speech therapy consultation? In orthodontic treatment, a specialist may also be helpful - Orthodontists often refer their little patients to speech therapy themselves, before putting on a bite corrector. It turns out that one of the conditions for the effectiveness of this type of treatment is the proper functioning of the tongue, its resting position and the correct way of swallowing.
The articulation may also change during treatment with removable orthodontic appliances. A child who spoke correctly before putting on the braces may distort some sounds after putting it on. This is due to new conditions in the mouth. The orthodontic appliance occupies a specific space on the palate or the floor of the mouth, which makes it difficult to work with the tongue, especially in the initial phase of treatment. If a child has a problem with swallowing in the apparatus or with the pronunciation of individual sounds, it is a signal that it is worth asking a speech therapist for help and exercises.
