Find Out!, Understand Speech Delay to the child.

Speech delay is a condition in which a child's speaking ability is slower than that of a child of his or her age.

1. Speech delay signs

• Babies (0–12 months): Do not make noises other than crying, do not respond to voices, or do not try to imitate voices.
• Preschool (2–5 years): difficulty understanding simple instructions, not making simple sentences, or unclear spelling of words.
• School age: difficulty attending lessons, difficulty making friends, or self-humiliation due to difficulty speaking.

2. Causes of Speech Delay
    Any factors that may cause speech delay in a child include:

• Genetic factors: family history of speech disorders
• Hearing problems: Hearing difficulties can impede the development of language.
• Physical abnormalities: problems with the speech organs (e.g., sumbing lips, short tongue)
• Medical conditions: autism, neurodevelopmental disorder, or other health problems
• Environmental factors: lack of language stimulation, too much screen exposure, or emotional problems

3. Impact of Speech Delay
    If not handled properly, speech delays can cause a variety of effects, such as:

• Learning difficulties: Children may have difficulty attending lessons in school.
• Social problems: Kids may have trouble making friends or interacting with others
• Emotional development impairment: Children might have trouble expressing feelings.
• Lack of self-confidence: Kids might feel inferior because of difficulty communicating.

4. Diagnosis and Treatment
    To diagnose speech delay, a doctor or speech therapist will perform an evaluation that includes:

• Child health history: including history of pregnancy, childbirth, and child development
• Physical examination: To examine the speech and hearing organs
• Language test: To evaluate the child's language ability
• Behavioral observations: To see how the child communicates in everyday situations

   Treatment for speech delay will be tailored to the cause and severity. Some types of therapy that may be given include:

• Speech Therapy: The therapist will train the child to produce the correct voices, words, and sentences. Hearing therapy: If there is hearing impairment, the child will be given hearing aids or other hearing therapies. Occupational therapy: To improve the fine motor skills that are important to speaking Play therapy: To help the child learn through play

5. Role of Parents
    Parents have an important role in helping children overcome speech delays. There are so many things that parents can do:

• Speak to your child regularly. Use simple and clear language.
• Reading books together helps enrich your child's vocabulary.
• Singing songs together helps develop speech and language skills.
• Create a supportive environment. Give compliments and positive boosts.

If you have concerns about your child’s speech development, do not hesitate to consult a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, because the earlier speech delays are detected and dealt with, the better the prognosis.


Reference:
Dahlia, K. J. 2017. Dampak jangka panjang keterlambatan atau gangguan bicara
dan bahasa. https://www.idai.or.id/artikel/klinik/pengasuhan-anak/dampak-
jangka-panjang-keterlambatan-atau-gangguan-bicara-bahasa-hal-yang-perlu-
diketahui-orangtua.