Language is the most important tool for man as it is a “bridge”, an essential link that allows communication with others and therefore the exchange of millions of information.

In children, we see the first attempts to use it around 1 year of age, then the “monotermine” phrases come on that is a single word that serves as a whole sentence. At 2 years of age, a child’s vocabulary can reach 200 words and around 3 years, the mastery of almost 1000 words shows how much they prefer to use language as an exclusive means of making themselves understood.

This can be the procedure that statistically occurs more often even if the ways and times can change.

But sometimes parents may realize that their children are late in this “roadmap” as noticed by Best Therapist in El Monte.

Even in children, in fact, learning situations can be conditioned by environmental stress, jealousies between siblings, family stimulation or simply by the temperament of the child himself.

And the advice is always to wait 3 years because the situation can settle down and there is a broader picture, especially if the child shows an understanding of what he is told. After this period it is easier to understand if you are facing a simple delay or a specific language disorder.

The first is transitory and often resolves positively, especially if the situation is adequately addressed. In the second case, instead, we are faced with a different gravity and therefore the approach must also be proportionate.

What signs should alarm us?

In addition to the difficulties related to the language itself and to all the activities related to communication, it is necessary to pay attention to other alarm bells.

We observe if there is also a delay in other functions such as holding the head in an elevated position, the ability to sit and walk.

Or we analyze the child’s reactions related to other stimuli such as noises and sounds.

Finally, we pay attention to the ways in which the child interacts with the environment, if he has little or no attention to it and finally if he is too calm.

A diagnosis and early treatment are therefore very important: if you realize that the child is not very talkative, stimulate him to use the voice and not the gestures and try to understand if he understands the words he hears.

Strive to never transmit anxiety or worry but on the contrary only understanding and affection!

What are language disorders?

The difficulties of expression, phonation, articulation and understanding of language have been grouped and described through the classification of language disorders.

Speech disorders often occur in the preschool age and may be the only disorder in which the child suffers (specific language disorders) or may be associated with other “relative” disorders such as learning disabilities, hyperactivity or attention deficit (secondary language disorders). Often they are disorders related to each other and in 30-40% of the cases, children who have a learning disability, have previously suffered from a speech disorder and vice versa.

They are the most common disorders among children in the age group of 2-6 years, the estimate is around 3-15% and from the research on the subject it emerges that in males they are more frequent.

Specific Language Disorders (SLD)

They usually appear from age 2 to school age. The difficulty of noticing and diagnosing such a disorder lies in the possibility of exchanging it for laziness or listlessness.

Once the problem has been identified, it is also necessary to observe if other disorders and other symptoms are present in order to prepare a targeted and complete intervention.

SLDs are classified into 3 types: the articulation disorders of the word, that is the difficulty in emitting sounds (stuttering for example) which are often resolved with a speech therapy treatment.

With expressive disorders, the child uses a restricted vocabulary and therefore simple sentences while understanding their meaning. El Monte therapist recommends to request a psycho-pedagogical support with the aim of helping the child to organize and enhance expressive abilities.

Speech comprehension disorder manifests itself with learning difficulties (dyslexia for example) and recognition of letters and words, writing or performing calculations. To resolve the disorder, it is possible to intervene with rehabilitation, speech therapy and neuropsychological therapies.