Causes of Children Too Late to Speak and How to Overcome it

Children who talk too late often cause concern for their parents. Every parent must wait for the first word that comes from the beloved baby. But what if you don't hear a word come out of your baby's tiny lips? Find out why your child is late talking and how to overcome them in the following review! Don't worry too much. Maybe your child is not yet time to reach that stage. And also children who are raised in environments with more than one language or bilingual indeed tend to be slower to start talking. So, how to know the characteristics of children who are classified as normal and children who have delays in speaking? Actually, the speech development of each child is different. However, there are basic benchmarks that you can use to measure the extent of your child's speech ability according to his age. This can be applied to detect whether your child is experiencing delays in speaking or not. The following is a benchmark of children's speaking ability according to their age.

• 3 months old

At this age, babies begin to make noises that have no meaning like cooing or arguably 'baby language'. He also has begun to recognize and listen to your voice and pay attention to your face when talking to him. As a parent, you must be observant with every cry that he emits. At the age of three months, babies can cry for different needs.

• 6 months old

Babies begin to make different sounds and the syllables are more clearly heard, though they have no meaning, such as saying "da-da" or "ba-ba". At the end of the age of six months, the baby can speak to express his condition when happy or sad, look in the direction that makes the sound, and pay attention to the music. When the name is called, the baby can also turn towards you.

• 9 months old

After the age of nine months, the baby will understand some basic words like ‘" no "or" yes ". He also began to use a broader tone of voice.

• 12 months old

He can already say the word "mama" or "father" and imitate the words you say. At the age of one year, he was able to understand several commands such as, "Come on, come here" or "Take the bottle". Your baby is also familiar with some things such as shoes, dolls, or milk bottles.

• 18 months old

Your baby can repeat the words you say to him and will point to an object or body part that you mentioned. At this age, babies can also say about 10 basic words. But it's normal if there are some words that are still unclear as the word "eat" is called "mam".

• 24 months old

He can say at least 50 words and communicate using two vocabulary words like "want milk".

• 3-5 years old

The vocabulary of children at that age will develop quickly. At the age of three, most children can grasp new vocabulary quickly. They can also understand longer commands such as, "Come on, wash your feet and brush your teeth" or "Take off your shoes and change your clothes."

At the age of four, he will speak using longer sentences and can explain an event. One year later, he was able to talk with others.

How to stimulate children's speaking ability

Your active role as a parent is very influential on the child's speech development. There are ways that you can do to stimulate your child's communication skills.

Follow all his words.

Pay attention to the unclear sounds of baby-style spoken from the Little One. Then follow the sound exactly. When I was a baby, the words that were spoken from the Little One often sounded unclear. Even if you don't understand what it means, you can repeat the words as you catch them. Then ask him what the words mean.

Talk while moving.

When talking to babies, you must be active and expressive. Suppose you say, "Come on, we drink milk" while shaking a bottle of milk or you can caress a doll while saying "Baby doll, petted." Similarly, when teaching it to know the body parts.

Get used to making narratives.

Even though he can't talk like an adult, you can still use everyday conversation when communicating with him. For example, when wearing clothes to your child you can talk, "Today (you can name it) wear a flower motif shirt to make it look beautiful" while showing the clothes to the Little One. This can help the baby understand certain objects through your words. Apply this to other activities such as bathing, giving food, changing diapers, and so on. In addition, babies also like to hear the sound of their parents. At that time the baby learns to talk, especially when you talk to him. Get used to always speak using complete sentences to him. For example when he pointed at the doll that was on the table. You do not immediately get it. It's better to say a sentence or two like, "Do you want to play with this doll?" When he responds with a nod or smile, you can immediately give it.

Return to being a child.

When having children, sometimes parents must be able to act as a child. Encourage your child to play, pretend, or imagine something to develop his verbal abilities. For example, pretending to call dad with a toy phone.

Praise its development.

Always give praise, smile and hugs every time he makes a new sound or vocabulary. In general, babies learn to talk from the reactions of people around them. The use of pacifiers is often used as one of the reasons why your little one is late talking, but actually it is not yet clear proof. If you really want to limit the use of dotcoba try to do it slowly.

When should you see a doctor?

You can consult your pediatrician if your child is late talking or does not meet the basic standards mentioned above. We recommend that you check with your doctor as early as possible when you see any irregularities in the Little One. This can be very beneficial for his future. When consulting a doctor, usually your child will undergo several tests such as hearing tests and growth and evaluation. This examination is important to monitor whether the child has hearing problems. This could be one of the factors that prevented him from speaking. You can also take you to a speech therapist. A therapist can diagnose and handle things that can interfere with the child's speech development. He can also provide tips for you and recommend some games to develop children's speaking skills. Monitoring your child's development can also be done to find out if your child has a disorder, such as autism or developmental disorders, which can cause children to talk too late.