Speech delay can be defined as the inability of children to show the verbal expression skills expected at their age. It can be seen as not speaking at all, using fewer words than expected for his age, or not being able to form sentences. In order to realize speech delay, it is necessary to know the speech development stages in children.
Although normal speech development varies among children, it follows a certain order. Crying that starts after the 2nd month in babies, 4-6. It continues with babbling, which consists of syllables such as “ba”ba” between months. The first words that are said meaningfully usually start at the age of 1 and the number of words gradually increases until 18 months. Children begin to form simple two-word sentences at age 2 and can use 50 words. Between the ages of 2-2.5, they can make sentences of two or three words. By the age of 3, he can make sentences of three to five words and his speech is largely understood by others.
There are misconceptions about speech delay such as “it should be waited until 4 years old” and “it is normal in boys”. Because of these beliefs, specialists are not consulted and the understanding of some important disorders may be delayed. Contrary to what is known, speech delay is an important condition that must be evaluated by a specialist.
Speech delay can have many different causes. The most common cause is developmental speech delay. However, one of the situations that should be considered in children with speech delay is whether there are signs of “Autism”. Autism is one of the major causes of speech delay.
Autism is a disorder that manifests itself with limitations in social interaction, inadequacy in communication skills, and repetitive movements. If children with speech delay have the following symptoms, you should suspect autism and immediately consult a child psychiatrist;
No or limited eye contact
Your child does not respond to a smile
Does not look at you when you talk to him or rarely does it
Does not look at his name when you call him
If your child does not look where you point
If he does not share by pointing or showing you what he is interested in
If he prefers to spend time by himself rather than playing with you or other children
Does not imitate your behavior
If he does not look at the objects you point at
If he has movements in the form of swaying and turning around himself
Early recognition of autism and early initiation of treatment increases the chance of treatment. For children with speech delay, it should not be said that “he will talk when he grows up” and a specialist should be consulted.
Dr.Mehmet Çolak
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist
Eskişehir
