Language Disorder in Toddlers

 Language Disorder in Toddlers:- Types, Symptoms, Causes & diagnosis

Language Disorder in Toddlers

What is Language Delay in toddlers?

Language delay or speech impairment is a communication disorder. Speech delay occurs when a child's language lags behind his age fellows. When toddlers are not acquiring their speech development milestones at the expected age, it's a sign that children have the problem of speech impairment.

Some children have trouble recognizing different sounds, words, and sentences when they involve learning a language. The proper age at which children acquire speech perfection is five years old.

Late talkers may have problems learning the words, converting the words into sentences, even understanding the words and sentences.

If your child's language delay is persistent and there is no improvement, it might be a sign of developmental language disorder.

Symptoms of Speech Impairment

If your child is a late talker or suffering from speech or language impairment, talk to your child's pediatrician for an examination. Symptoms of language delay in children depend upon the age and nature of a child.

Some of the main symptoms of language delay in children are as follows:-

• Children may have a limited vocabulary as compared to other children to their age fellows.
•  Toddlers can't use correct grammar during speech.
•  They can't connect the sentences to describe something.
• Have difficulty in making new words and conversations.
•  They say the words in the wrong order.
• Difficulty following directions. But most of the parents assume that their child is stubborn.
• Reading problems.
• Pausing during the words and sentences.
• Jerking the head during communication.
• Blinking eyes during conversations.

Types of Language Delays in Children

There can be many types of language development delays in children that affect a child's social, communication, cognitive and behavioral skills. Some major types of language delays or speech disorders are as follows:-

1. Expressive Speech Disorder

Expressive speech is the ability in which children express their needs or demands through verbal or non-verbal communication. Children who feel difficulty expressing their thoughts and words may be suffering from an expressive language disorder.

 In some situations, children can't express their emotions when hungry, thirsty, or feel the need to go to the washroom. They may be suffering from an expressive language disorder.

Expressive language disorder has a medical treatment with the help of speech therapy. During speech therapy, doctors give the children some tools and strategies to express their thoughts and ideas.

There are tools such as books, language disorder apps, experiential activities, our knowledge to communicate with the children, facial expressions, and non-verbal questions that are effective ways to improve language disorder.

2. Receptive Language Disorder

There is another type of receptive language disorder, learning development disorder and, it affects a child's ability of written and spoken language. A "receptive language disorder" may be inherited or maybe because of some brain injury.

In receptive language disorder, the child has difficulty understanding what is being said by another person. They can't understand body language or facial expressions. Children with a receptive language disorder may be suffering from attention disorder and can not concentrate on their tasks.

If the issue of receptive language disorder is not going to resolve, the child's learning abilities can be affected.

3. Articulation Disorder

In an articulation disorder, toddlers are not able to form certain sounds and words. Toddlers have difficulty uttering the sounds such as "TH, S and, "R" sounds. Naturally, the children have articulation issues when they start speaking.

 Most articulation issues occur because of hearing loss, cerebral palsy, nervous system, and structural abnormalities.

4. Stuttering

Stuttering occurs when a child repeats the words or phrases two or three times. When toddlers don't have fluency in speech, they start stuttering. These issues can automatically vanish at the age of 6 without any treatment. Stuttering can be because of brain trauma, but the exact cause of stuttering is not yet known.

5. Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CSA)

 In Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CSA) disorder, the child has difficulty coordinating the sounds into the syllabus, syllabus into words, and words into phrases. Speech therapy can improve the apraxia issue, but there is no specific cure for apraxia.

Apraxia can also occur because of neurological disease. Children who are suffering from apraxia are not able to talk and express themselves in words. But it's also a fact that apraxia never affects a child's intelligence level.

Risk Factors

There can be some risk factors for language disorder in children as:-

• Premature birth can be the cause of language disorders in children.
• If someone in the family has a problem of language disorder, there are chances that the child will also have this issue.
• Low birth weight.

Causes of Speech Delay in Children

There are many causes of speech delay in children. Many factors play a role in a child's language delay. Some causes of speech delay in children are as follows:-

• Hearing impairment cause language delays in children. When a child can not recognize the language, he can't also learn to communicate or speak.
• Autism also affects a child's speech delays, but not all children with autism need to have speech delays.
• A short frenulum(fold beneath the tongue)creates a hindrance for children to twist their tongues, which causes speech delay in children.
• A cleft palate is an extreme cause of speech impairment in children.
• Infections cause hearing problems in children, which is the main reason for speech impairment in children. The chronic type of infections have impacts on speech impairment. But ear infection that has medical treatment don't affect language delays.

Diagnosis Of Speech Delays

Whatsoever is the cause of speech delays in your child, you need to consult the Speech-Language Pathologist( SLP). The pathologist will diagnose the cause of speech impairment in your child through different tests. After medical treatment of the infection, the pathologist may recommend speech therapy.

 During the SPL therapy, the process pathologist will also guide you, what you have to do at home to improve your child's language skills. It's also a fact that some children take time to start talking. But if your child has any problem and needs treatment, it depends upon the cause of the delay.