Language development disorders are not uncommon in young children. Here, the cause often lies in the over- or under-challenge of the not yet fully mature brain. Here it is important to support the child gently, never overreacting. The child should not be made to feel stupid or untalented. Later speech inhibitions, language disorders and even autism can possibly be fostered by this.
What are language development disorders?
The term language development disorders refers to a developmental delay in a child’s language abilities, both in terms of content and time. The degree of the disorder can manifest itself in a wide variety of ways at an individual level: phonetic-phonological, morpho-syntactic (dysgrammatic), lexical-semantic, and at a pragmatic-communicative level.
Causes
Autistic language disorders are genetic. However, anyone who discovers such a genetic makeup in themselves or in their circle of blood relatives should be somewhat more sensitive to their child’s speech disorders. It is essential that a therapist has this information so that he does not have to test for a long time and fish in the dark, but can immediately implement the right language training. Similar to autistic, genetically caused speech disorders are to be treated in dementia patients. It must be clearly stated that dementia is often referred to old people. This is not correct. Dementia only means a restriction of memory capacity. Causes can be accidents as well as wrong nutrition. A congenital hearing disorder could also be a reason for delayed speech development, as could psychological causes. Sometimes these factors correlate with each other, so it is important to consider this of the anamnesis.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
One reduces memory performance more quickly, the other in the long term. Both often lead to language impairment, but both can be almost completely cured. These two groups, however, often respond with more subconscious or unconscious rejection and internal withdrawal to therapy interventions that are inappropriate because of a pre-existing vocabulary that is much more developed than that of a young child.
Diagnosis and course of the disease
It is significant to analyze the exact history and cause of the speech disorders. Psychologists can help with this. However, this is often neglected and, consequently, after a certain age, forgetfulness and the resulting speech disorder are labeled as “dementia” and, in the common popular understanding, as incurable. Adults are then often treated by nursing staff like infants, although such a demarcation would be absolutely necessary for the successful healing of speech disorders. Those who have read and thought this far will agree that the developing brain of a toddler with a naturally small vocabulary needs to be guided in the right direction with regard to speech disorders than is the case with adults, where existing nerve connections are disturbed due to whatever cause. Information about this can be provided by blood tests, but also by neurological examinations. Many mentally ill patients have been found to have far too low a concentration of vitamin B in their blood. Mental illnesses also frequently lead to speech disorders as they progress. Recommendations such as sufficient sport (exercise in the elderly) and a healthy diet are good approaches for stable speech. Blood pressure is also an influencing factor, which can be corrected to its own correct level in the long term almost without medication. If this does not happen, and the fluctuations between rest phases and stress phases are too extreme, this has an enormously stressful effect on the veins that supply the brain with nutrients. Signs such as a red head when stress is not excessive should be just as much a reason for a visit to the doctor as unnatural pallor. Because if it comes first to the worst speech disorders are rarely or only with difficulty reparable.
Complications
A speech development disorder has a very negative impact on the quality of life and on the everyday life of the affected person. In this case, most patients suffer from speech disorders and, consequently, discomfort in communication. Especially in children, language development disorder can lead to bullying and teasing, which can cause psychological discomfort or depression in the affected person.The child’s overall development is also significantly slowed and restricted by the disorder. In many cases, these disorders are related to swallowing difficulties, so that the affected children also suffer from discomfort when taking liquids or food. The rest of the patient’s health is usually unaffected. The treatment of the speech development disorder depends strongly on its cause. It is usually carried out through various trainings or therapy with a psychologist and can significantly limit the symptoms. Complications usually do not occur. However, a positive course of the disease cannot be predicted in every case. Often, the complaints cannot be completely limited, so that the affected person suffers from speech complaints for the rest of his or her life. However, everyday life can usually be managed well even with these disorders.
When should you see a doctor?
A speech development disorder should always be treated by a doctor. Only early and proper treatment of this disorder can prevent further complications in the child’s development. For this reason, a doctor should be consulted at the first signs and symptoms of this disorder. Especially the parents of the child must pay attention to the complaints and consult a doctor. As a rule, severe speech complaints are indications of speech development disorder. The children cannot speak or articulate properly. In many cases, aggressive behavior also occurs when the child cannot express himself or herself properly. If these complaints occur, the speech development disorder must be examined by a doctor. Furthermore, other psychological upsets or even depression may also be indicative of the language development disorder. The speech development disorder itself can be examined and treated by a psychologist or by a pediatrician. Whether the treatment will be successful in doing so cannot be universally predicted.
Treatment and therapy
Depending on the reason for the speech development disorder, speech therapy by means of a speech therapist can bring about improvement. Through targeted training, they move misdirected synaptic connections into the right channels at an early stage. In the case of psychologically caused speech disorders, a child psychologist can help. This person determines the causes of the stress and can point out ways in which the affected children can feel more secure with the help of a verbal construct. Often, mentally ill children experience both linguistic influences and events they have experienced themselves as highly nerve-racking. In the truest sense of the word, nerves should be spared here without the often unconsciously preferred avoidance strategy. If this is carried out, the memory of the persons concerned runs at full speed and produces amazingly creative possibilities for the avoidance of the stress situation. Unfortunately, however, in most cases these prove to be unsuitable for everyday life and destructive. The vicious circle of sinking self-confidence and the resulting reflection of the affected person with his environment, in which others can do everything better, is provided with sufficient nourishment here. Ergo, the nerves are hardly spared. The linguistic construct, which accommodates psychologically stressed persons, is therefore characterized by training units, which let them cope verbally with the perceived attacks.
Prevention
Children, by their very nature, do not yet speak much. Age comparisons with much older children are therefore inappropriate. Differing abilities of age-matched children should not be overstated. Do not talk your child sick; he or she is more sensitive than you think, even if he or she cannot yet express it conclusively. Speech disorders due to sudden damage to brain power (accident or shock) must be remedied as soon as possible by speech therapy and psychology. A shock experience can also cause downstream health damage. Speech disorders based on forgetfulness can usually be effectively improved by the nutritionist. For this, however, he needs information about the blood values as well as the assistance of his patient. Psychologically caused speech disorders require sensible alternatives and protective measures to counter the perceived threats with confidence. Psychologists, but also speech therapists, offer effective everyday coping strategies for this, which also work without pressure.
Aftercare
Disorders in speech development are usually noticed in childhood.The sooner such a disorder is diagnosed, the better the chances of recovery. Children up to the age of three are still in the process of learning language. For this reason, therapy should be started during this period if possible. In the case of a language development disorder, follow-up care by a speech therapist is recommended. If the disorder has already been successfully treated, maintaining this final state is the goal of aftercare. This prevents a relapse, namely unlearning correct pronunciation again. Children with speech development disorders often experience exclusion by peers or lack of understanding by family members. This can damage the child’s self-esteem. In such cases, a psychotherapeutic approach is also advisable as part of aftercare, in parallel with speech therapy exercises. A (child) psychologist works out measures to strengthen the child’s self-esteem. This involves trying to remove the child’s feelings of inferiority and self-doubt. Crucial to a satisfactory end result is the child’s trust in his therapists. If the child enjoys his playfully conducted speech exercises with the speech therapist, he will be able to participate more easily in everyday conversations outside of therapy in the future.
What you can do yourself
If the child has a speech development disorder, parents and relatives can perform speech exercises in everyday life in addition to the speech therapy treatments performed. There are a variety of training sessions and techniques that can be done at any time, even without a visit to the doctor. They promote better interaction, contribute to improved communication and ultimately support the patient’s well-being. It is important to take care to remain calm. Often, learning progress takes a long time and can only be seen in small nuances. In addition, despite all efforts, phases of stagnation can occur or regressive development can occur. It is helpful to seek consultation with the treating physician. Together with the therapist, exercise sessions can be agreed upon and changes can be summed up. In order to avoid misunderstandings or conflicts in dealing with other people, an explanation of the present developmental disorder should be given. In this way, unpleasant looks or questions are often reduced to a minimum in advance. In addition, it can be helpful to react to tense situations with humor and lightness. This approach often makes the sufferer feel less denounced and not personally attacked. A confident demeanor in maintaining interpersonal contact is advised when dealing with tense situations in everyday life.
