Speech Delays In The Age Of Coronavirus

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As parents, we want our children to meet every milestone perfectly. When it comes to the child’s first words, we always go through a certain amount of excitement. “What will my child’s first words be?”, “When will it begin?”, “How many words should my child be aware of?”, “Why is my child not talking like other children?” — these are a few questions we all want answers to. When you don’t see your child taking the normal course of development, it can make you worried and anxious. Dealing with a speech or developmental delay, particularly amidst a pandemic, can put you under a lot of stress.

It becomes all the more challenging to help your child through this, as transport has been restricted, doctors are only available online, and regular schooling has been disrupted as well. We’re here to help you understand what a speech delay is, when you should be worried, and how to deal with it during the ongoing pandemic:

In This Article

Speech And Communication In Babies

Speech And Communication In Babies
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A baby’s communication begins right at birth — the crying and cooing of a newborn is a form of communication. As the months progress, you will notice hand gestures, facial expressions, and babble or baby talk, all of which the child uses to communicate. In addition, your baby will try to mimic certain words such as “mama” and “papa” between twelve to eighteen months of age. Eventually, the child will be able to point out and say a few familiar words, most of which have to do with your baby’s daily life (1).

Typically, however, a child’s speech and language skills take shape at around three years of age. At this time, ideally, your little one should have a vocabulary of about a thousand words. They should also be able to identify themselves and call themselves by their name. They should be able to call other family members or people they are familiar with by their names (2).

Essentially, a three-year-old should be able to frame around three to four-word sentences, using specific nouns, verbs, and adjectives. In addition, they should also be able to understand the difference between singular and plural words, ask questions that make sense, even narrate rhymes, tell a story, and sing short and easy songs. During this phase, the brain is rapidly developing, and you will see a significant spike in your child’s speech and language skills (3).

When You Should Be Worried About A Speech Delay

When You Should Be Worried About A Speech Delay
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Some children take a longer time to reach their milestones. Usually, this is not a cause for concern; it just means that your child is a late bloomer — and that is okay. However, when should you be worried?

If your baby hasn’t been making any sound such as cooing and other noises around two months of age, the chances are that you are witnessing a speech delay right there. So keep a lookout for this, and contact your child’s pediatrician if you see that your child has not made any noises (4), (5).

It is also a sign of speech delay if your child cannot use at least twenty to twenty-five words by the age of two and a half. Further, if by the age of three, your child doesn’t use at least a minimum of 200 words and finds it hard to ask you for things or name an object, it can be a sign of speech delay. Another sign of a speech or developmental delay is if your child finds it hard to say words that they’ve learned previously (6), (7).

Speech Delay During The Pandemic

Speech Delay During The Pandemic
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Tackling a speech delay in your child can be worrisome, more so if there is an ongoing pandemic. Recently, it was observed that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to speech delays in several children. This is probably because kids are deprived of the regular cognitive and social stimulation they would otherwise receive in classrooms. With everything being online and social interaction a bare minimum, this seems to have impacted the speech and development of children. Additionally, any visual cues of communication that children typically get are disrupted thanks to face masks covering the mouth. During online classes, children are often “spoken to” by their teachers, and a response from all the children present in class is often limited (8).

To address this issue, make it a point to have a conversation with your child constantly. Encourage your child to respond. Inculcate the habit of reading — you can choose a simple book to read, with many visuals. You can ask your child to point to these images when you read about them. This will help expand your child’s vocabulary and understanding too. You can also help your child frame questions and then teach them to frame answers to those questions (9).

Keep in mind that although there is a time frame within which a milestone has to be achieved, your child may or may not be quick to achieve it. Therefore, be patient with your child and wait for things to turn around. And if they don’t, consult a doctor. Don’t lose hope, as with early intervention, you may be able to figure out what the issue is and address it. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below.

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