Signs of possible speech delay for a three-year-old
- Unable to say previously learned words
- Having trouble imitating sounds
- Preferring to point or use non-verbal cues instead of calling things or people by name
- Strangers finding it hard to understand their pronunciation of words
Signs of possible language delay for a three-year-old
- Struggling to combine words into three- or four-word sentences
- Showing little interest in books
- Cannot follow simple verbal requests
- Do not ask questions
- Cannot tell a story or repeat a nursery rhyme
Intellectual disability: Intellectual disability is another common cause of speech delay. Children with intellectual disability can have difficulty understanding social and practical situations.
Physical mouth problems: Delayed speech can come as a result of physical problems with a child’s tongue, lips, teeth or jaw.
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Problems with speech development often come as a result of Autism Spectrum Disorder, along with other delayed development signs such as impaired movement, cognitive and social skills.
Premature birth: Children born prematurely are more likely to experience delayed speech between two and three years old. This is as a result of the lack of development in the auditory cortex, the region of the brain responsible for understanding speech and language.
What should I do if I am concerned about my toddler's speech and language development?
The first step to take when concerned about your child’s speech and language development is to seek professional help, talking to a GP is often a good place to start.
Not only will this provide peace of mind as a parent, but will allow your child to receive the support they need as soon as possible.
Hearing test
Even if a child passed their newborn hearing screen, they can still develop hearing loss as they grow older. A hearing test is encouraged to check if a potential hearing loss is impacting speech and language development.
Speech and language assessment
A speech and language assessment is a process that can lead to a diagnosis for your child. This can be a lengthy, but worthwhile, process of assessing your child’s communication ability, including interviews, observations and tests. This should ideally lead to a diagnosis, identification of the cause as well as offer options for treatment.
For example, if speech delay is just one symptom of a more general issue, treatment will be grouped with living with the larger issue as a whole. If your child has a hearing loss and you come to Hear and Say, you will be connected with an audiologist and a speech pathologist who will work together to get the best outcomes for your child.
In a different case, where speech or language delays are due to ear or hearing issues, hearing technology, such as hearing aids, might be suggested initially before then focusing on the delay.
Speech therapy
Speech therapy is the most common treatment for children with speech delay. This therapy entails the help of a speech pathologist who will assist in improving your child’s development by practicing language intervention and articulation activities, as well as oral exercises if needed.
Tips for parents of late talking toddlers
Raising a child with a speech delay can be difficult at times. As they can struggleto express their emotions effectively it can lead to them acting out, irrational behaviour and anger.
Here are few examples of activities you can do at home with your child to encourage verbal communication development:
- Read to your child
- Speak to your child often, even if it is just describing what you are doing or singing a song
- Encourage your child to speak back to you and engage in conversation
- Praise speaking and give positive feedback often
- Encourage your child to interact with children with good language skills
We’re here to help. Book a hearing test or speech and language assessment for your child.
Get in touch
