Diagnosis and Treatment!
Previously I wrote about the causes and signs of language and speech delay. Let's talk about how to tackle this emerging problem among young ones.
We know that language and speech delays are disorders that are different but at the same time have some similarities.
- Speech is the verbal expression of language and includes articulation (the way we form sounds and words).
- Language is giving and getting information. It’s understanding and being understood through verbal, nonverbal, and written communication.
Different therapies are introduced to treat patients with speech or language delays. To ascertain the type and severity of the verbal disorder, the doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist runs diagnostic tests before categorizing the condition and starting treatment.
Speech and language delay- diagnosis and treatment
Close observation is the key to detecting verbal disorders, which parents or caregivers do. The sooner the detection, the better because early intervention leads to prompt treatment and better results.
In some circumstances, new or inexperienced parents can't tell if the child has some verbal issues; referring to the chart below could help them keep in mind the essential developmental milestones.
Failure to show the age-appropriate milestone for more than 6 months could raise some red flags, and you could consult your physician for an opinion.
There are mostly no complications, and every child has different growth spurts. Still, sometimes there is a significant cause lurking behind a benign delay that could create significant issues in the future. Early detection is the key to curing verbal defects like any other sickness.
If you are a parent or a caregiver of a child with a speech delay or you think there is a problem with hearing, make an appointment with your physician or pediatrician.
- An auditory or hearing test is conducted to determine if the delay is due to hearing loss.
- If your child might have a problem, it’s essential to see a doctor or speech-language pathologist. During the preliminary assessment, the professionals will investigate your toddler’s speech and language capabilities. Other developmental milestones and behaviors are also seen for a complete diagnosis.
- What your child comprehends(called receptive language)
- What your child can say (called expressive language)
- Your child’s sound development and clarity of speech
- Your child’s oral-motor status (how the mouth, tongue, palate, etc., work together for speech as well as eating and swallowing)
The SLP may recommend speech therapy for your child based on the results.
Treatment
After the diagnosis comes the formidable task of determining what course of action to take to treat speech delay.
- For children with hearing loss, hearing aids, auditory training, lip-reading instruction, and myringotomy are suggested by the ENT specialist. Reconstruction of the external auditory canal, ossicular reconstruction, and cochlear implantation may be necessary. A high-risk registry and universal hearing screening may help identify hearing loss at an early age.
- A complete developmental assessment is vital because speech delay is the most familiar intellectual impairment worldwide. The Denver Developmental Screening Test is the most prevalent clinical use for infants and young children.
- Every child should be treated according to the kind of speech delay he has. The health care team might include the physician, a speech-language pathologist, an audiologist, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, and a social worker.
- The physician should provide the team with information about the cause of the speech delay and be responsible for any medical treatment available to correct or minimize the handicap.
- If a child suffers from selective mutism due to anxiety or mental trauma, a team of psychologists and psychiatrists can provide treatment through psychotherapy.
- A speech pathologist plays a significant role in formulating the target aims for children with verbal defects. Speech pathologists plan strategies to increase speech and language comprehension and articulation in compliance with teachers and parents.
When dealing with language delay, a six-way strategy can show a lot of improvement in increasing a child's vocabulary.
STANDARDIZED EVALUATION
- A standardized assessment is conducted on a grade level to determine children's eligibility for speech therapy assistance.
Informal observations
- Observations conducted by psychologists, psychiatrists, and speech pathologists in an informal setting can entitle a child with a speech disorder to get help.
Parents involvement
- Parents and caregivers are the ones who spend the longest time with a child. Based on their close observations in an informal setting, strong reports can be derived in compliance with the team helping the child improve speech or language.
Speech and language delays in children can not be cured promptly. Still, with the specialized teamwork of all the specific professionals and a lot of patience and involvement of parents, excellent results are derived.
