Every parent eagerly waits for the day when they will hear their child’s first word. They will make a lot of effort to encourage their child to start communicating.

But what if you learn that your child can’t utter even a single word at the age of 2-3 years? What if he/she is not able to communicate with others? Well, your child just might be suffering from a speech delay.

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According to several studies, a child’s speech fluency varies as per to their age. A 1-year-old child is capable of speaking at least one word, and a 17-month-old should be able to speak two-word sentences. At the age of 3, he/she should be able to speak in 3 words sentence. A child with speech problems, on the other hand, may not speak even at the age of 3.

What is speech delay?

Speech delay, commonly known as Alalia, is a speech and language disorder wherein a child is unable to communicate, through gestures or through a simple 2-word sentence, at the age of 2 years. Sometimes, children are able to talk and speak; but due to the speech disorder, it becomes very difficult to understand what they are saying. Some children suffer from language disorders, wherein they are not able to speak and understand languages.

What is normal for children?

Though child speech fluency varies, children who are normal can speak 1-2 words at the age of 17 months. They can identify their family members, follow the directions given to them, do not have any hearing problems etc.

What are the reasons for speech delay?

Speech and language disorders can be caused due to physical impairment in parts of the child’s body such as the tongue, lips, teeth, and mouth. If there is any problem in these areas, then he/she may not be capable of generating words. It can also be caused by hearing problems. Children who are dealing with hearing problems, are unable to communicate, imitate, and use language.

Other possible causes include:

• Child’s growth: This is the most common reason for speech delays. It is possible that your child is growing slowly due to which he is unable to communicate, and suffers from language problems.
• Receptive language problem: In this situation, a child is unable to speak clearly and form clear sentences. He may be unable to point to objects and follow certain directions. Toddler speech delay exercises may be able to overcome this problem.

Signs of speech delay

If your child is suffering from a speech delay problem, then it is necessary to identify it during the early stages, so that it can be cured or prevented easily. Some common ways to recognize children with speech problems are:

• They cannot say common words like “mom, dad”.
• They do not respond to your directions.
• They are not able to identify body parts.
• They cannot identify family members.
• They may be unable to form simple 2-3 words sentences.
• They may experience hearing problems.

Measures that can be taken to deal with speech delay

Toddler speech delay exercises are one effective means of dealing with this problem. In addition, you can the following:

• Speak gently and slowly to let your child understand what you are trying to say.
• Do not rely on television to teach your child to speak.
• Read out from books which have lots of colorful images to your child.
• Help him recognize and identify body parts and shapes.
• Concentrate on teaching them common words like “thank you, please, and sorry”.

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If you follow the aforementioned pointers, you are likely to make some significant headway when it comes to dealing with your child’s speech delay. But if your child is still struggling with his/her speech, then do not hesitate to consult a professional for proper treatment.

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