Help Your Child Communicate: Recognize Speech and Hearing Issues

By Denise DeWitt HERWriter

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recognize hearing and speech issues, help your child communicate

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Would you recognize the signs if your child had a speech or hearing issue?

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 64 percent of parents are unaware of the early warning signs that their child might have a speech or language problem.

And 57 percent of parents don’t understand that early detection of a problem can help their child get up to speed faster and reduce costs for medical treatment.

Be aware of the early warning signs of speech and hearing problems:

Language Disorder

Children who have language problems may be slow developing skills to understand what is said to them or slow learning to communicate. Warning signs include:

• Infant doesn’t smile or interact with others, doesn’t babble, and makes only a few sounds or gestures like pointing.

• Toddler doesn’t understand what others say, uses few words, is hard to understand when he or she speaks and does not put words together into sentences.

• Child between 2-3 years of age has trouble playing or talking with other children and is slow developing early reading and writing skills.

Speech Sound Disorder

Children with this type of disorder may say certain sounds incorrectly. Children ages 1-2 years may say p, b, m, h and w incorrectly. Children ages 2-3 may say k, g, f, t, d, and n incorrectly. These children may be difficult to understand even for people who talk with them frequently.

Stuttering

Children with this condition have a lack of fluency in the way they speak. Around age two-and-a-half to three they may struggle to say some sounds or words, may repeat the initial sound in certain words or may stretch out the first sound. Long or frequent pauses while talking may also be a warning sign for stuttering, as words seem to get stuck before they make any sounds.

Many young children stutter for a short period of time then “outgrow” the problem. If stuttering persists, talk to a speech-language pathologist.

Voice Disorder

Children who naturally speak with a hoarse or breathy voice or who have a very nasal sounding voice may have a voice disorder. Talk to your pediatrician for recommendations to determine why your child speaks this way.

Hearing Loss

Although all children sometimes “choose” not to hear mom or dad, a child who is typically not responsive to sounds may have hearing loss. Some signs of reduced hearing include:

• Infant doesn’t pay attention to sounds and does not respond when someone says his or her name.

• Toddler doesn’t follow simple directions and shows delays in making sounds, speaking and developing language skills.

• Children of all ages may pull or scratch at their ears, may have difficulty doing well in school, and may be unhappy or socially isolated in school.

• Children with hearing issues may also complain that their ears hurt around loud noises, especially prolonged sounds like listening to loud music.

Early treatment for speech and language disorders means less time for your child to fall behind in meeting crucial developmental milestones. If you suspect your child has any type of speech or hearing problem, talk to your pediatrician.

Sources:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Identify the Signs: Get the Facts. Web. May 6, 2014.
http://identifythesigns.org/the-signs

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Early Detection of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders. Web. May 6, 2014.
http://www.asha.org/public/Early-Detection-of-Speech-Language-and-Hearin...

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Identify the Signs: Know the Signs. Web. May 6, 2014.
http://identifythesigns.org/the-facts

Reviewed May 7, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.