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By Natalie J. Dahl, MS, CCC-SLP
A child’s speech and language skills develop as he grows from infancy
to school age. This development should follow suggested timelines
and patterns. When it doesn’t, this can be a worry for parents and is
cause for a professional evaluation by a speech-language pathologist.
Often, these difficulties can be treated with speech and/or language
therapy.
Frequently, the cause of speech and language delays and/or disorders
is unknown. Sometimes, however, there can be specific causes. They
may include:
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Hearing Loss: Chronic ear infections may result in decreased speech and language skills.
When a child has a hard time hearing, he is unable to hear words to repeat them correctly.
Words may be slurred, have the wrong tone, or wrong emphasis. The child may also have
trouble understanding, imitating, and using language. Simple ear infections that have
been treated should not affect speech.
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Neurological Disorder: This can include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or traumatic
brain injury. A child with a neurological disorder may have difficulty coordinating the
muscles used for speech or controlling spasms in the tongue area. Hearing may also be
affected.
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Autism: A child with a disorder on the Autism spectrum may display developmental
problems, including speech and language difficulties. This will likely include a lack of
nonverbal communication, such as hand gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact.
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Intellectual Disability: This occurs when a child has significant limitations in both academic
and everyday skills. Because of limited cognitive abilities, there may often be delays in
speech and/or language skills.
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Physical Impairment: This may include a cleft lip, cleft palate, or short frenulum (the fold
beneath the tongue). These affect the structure of a child’s mouth and can limit tongue,
lip, and jaw movement for speech production.
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Vocal Abuse or Misuse: This can come from yelling, screaming, excessive throat-clearing,
and overuse of the voice. A child’s voice may sound rough, breathy, too high/low, or too
loud/soft.
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Extreme Environment: A child at risk for developing speech and language problems
may come from poverty, have been exposed to drugs or alcohol, have poor nutrition,
or experience neglect and/or abuse. Studies show that 35% of children with speech
and language delays have experienced one or more of these negative environmental
scenarios.
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Prematurity: A child born prematurely may have delays in several areas, including speech
and language. These can likely improve with early intervention.
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Life Events: Difficult or traumatic life experiences can ‘trigger’
stuttering or disfluent speech in a young child.
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Genetics: There are specific genes that are responsible for
communication. Research shows that 50%-70% of children who
have difficulties with speech and language also have at least one
family member who has (or had) the same difficulties.
Speech and language delays and/or disorders may have a number of
different causes; often, it is difficult to know why they occur. If a child
is exhibiting speech and/or language difficulties, it is important for him
to be evaluated by a professional. With the help of a speech-language
pathologist, many of these problems can be treated.
Resources
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