Gelisim News

Beware if your child is 3 years old and still cannot able to speak!

Stating that the neurological development in babies should be observed carefully, Child Neurology Specialist Prof. Dr. Ebru Kolsal also emphasized children with speech delay should be evaluated in terms of hearing disorders as well.

The neurological development of children is as significant as their physical development. While the weight and height gain of babies are regularly monitored during growth periods, their neurological development can sometimes be ignored. Speech ability, which is another important part of neurological development as well as the development of the child's head control, sitting and walking is among the factors of great importance. Children should be closely monitored in this regard. When it is noticed that there is a development of speech below expected, the expert should be consulted quickly and the underlying cause should be determined.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STARTS AT 3 MONTHS WITH BABBLING

Child Neurology Specialist Prof. Dr. Ebru Kolsal, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Child Development at Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU), emphasized the following: “Language development starts with babbling in a 3-month period and then progresses to forming regular sequential sentences. While a 9-month-old child should repeat syllables such as father and food, a 1.5-year-old child should use at least 6-8 words. By the age of 2, s/he should be able to form 2-word sentences, and by the age of three, 3-word sentences. Children with speech delay are usually likened to one of their family members and normalized with comments such as "His uncle also spoke at the age of 5". However, that language development should follow within normal limits as in other developments.

SPEECH DELAY IS THE FIRST THING TO BE NOTICED IN THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER

Children who are noticed to have language retardation need to be examined in detail. Dr. Kolsal also indicated, “Hearing test should be done in terms of hearing skills and neurodevelopmental skills should be examined. Speech delay is one of the first signs of autistic spectrum disorder. Hence, it is necessary to consult a specialist without losing any time in terms of autistic spectrum disorder, which can be rehabilitated with early diagnosis.''