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Early Years (2-6)
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 “If your child by a year is not starting to make sounds, that’s a concern,” says Terri Hutchison, speech pathologist at Life Spirit Speech Pathology in San Juan Capistrano. Your child may have a speech or language delay. There are many causes of these delays, including developmental speech and language disorders, hearing loss, autism spectrum disorders, apraxia of speech and frequent ear infections. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the developing brain is best able to acquire speech and language skills during the first three years of life, and these skills appear to develop best in a world full of sounds, sights and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others. “Children learn their language first from their mother’s voice and their father’s voice,” says Barbara Moore, clinical director of Speech Pathology Associates in Irvine.  Although children develop skills at significantly different rates, there are many signs of possible speech and language delay in a child (see sidebar, below).Experts say that if parents suspect that their child has not begun to develop, has stopped developing or has regressed in the area of speech and language skills, they should have the child evaluated by a speech language pathologist as soon as possible. “The earlier parents seek help for their child, the better the outcome,” says Lynne Lukes, director of Temecula Valley Therapy Services in Temecula. “Early intervention is critical in helping children learn the skills needed for academic success.” In addition, parents can help develop their child’s speech and language skills by talking and reading to their child, labeling items, asking their child lots of questions and interacting with their child while talking about the toys and games they are playing with. “Parents are wonderful teachers for their children,” says Megan McCann, speech pathologist and clinical director of Lucid Speech & Language Center in Murietta, “and with a little guidance from a professional, they can make a dramatic difference.”  Fine motor skillsWhat do coloring with crayons, playing with Play-Doh and putting coins in a piggy bank have in common? They are all activities that incorporate fine motor skills, which involve the use of small muscles in the body that enable essential functions such as writing and grasping small objects. Fine motor skills develop from infancy, when a child first develops a fisted grasp. Over time, children can hold and manipulate objects with increasing sophistication, eventually gaining the ability to perform tasks such as eating with utensils and buttoning clothing. However, there can be delays in the development of a child’s fine motor skills. Possible causes for these deficits include lack of exposure to activities that help build fine motor skills, visual perception issues, sensory integration dysfunction or delays in other areas such as speech or gross (large muscle) motor skills. Although experts acknowledge that children develop fine motor skills at different rates, if they display signs of a delay by the time they are 3 or 4 years old, parents should be concerned. “By the time they need to be able to pick up a pencil or pair of scissors, you really want to look at what’s been hindering them up until now,” says Deborah C. Hebert, director of Pacific Pediatric Therapy in Mission Viejo. Some of the signs of fine motor delay in children include: > Lack of pincer grasp (picking up objects with thumb and index finger) by 12 months of age > Avoidance of objects that require a lot of manipulation > Inability to grasp and stack blocks by 2 years of age > Continued use of fisted grasp on markers and crayons by 4 years of age > Inability to write names by 4 years of age If parents notice signs of fine motor delay, they should consult their pediatrician to see if their child needs an occupational therapy evaluation. Parents can also help develop fine motor skills in their children. Have your little ones use objects with different textures (such as sand and bubbles), use short crayons or break crayons into little pieces to facilitate the development of a proper grip, or participate in play activities that involve the use of their hands. “Skip the video games, and get them outside,” says Betsy Aasland, director of Beach Kids Therapy Center in San Clemente. “Get them using their hands to climb on monkey bars, to make mud pies, things like that. Just get them using their hands.” Adam Pringle is an intern for OC Family magazine. Future trouble? Signs that your child’s speech may be delayed: > No communication in any form, whether it’s through words, gestures or pointing, by age 1 > Lack of engagement and/or intimacy with parents by age 1 > Inability to form single words by 18 months > Inability to form three-word sentences by age 3 > Inability to form five- to six-word sentences by age 5 > Echolalia, the repetition of vocalizations made by another person For more information, go to speechdelay.com |
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