5 Facts and misconceptions about speech and language delay

Of course you would and rightfully so as the earlier a speech and language delay is detected, the earlier your child will receive intervention and the better the outcomes for your child will be.

1. FACT or FALLACY? “Lalaki naman 'yung anak mo kaya siya delayed sa pagsasalita.”

While it may be true that girls learn to talk earlier and clearer than boys and that more boys are found to be delayed in their speech and language development compared to girls, boys are still expected to talk within the typical range of development.

For example, if 75 to 90% of children are expected to be fully articulate by 3.25 to 4.25 years of age, a girl may talk clearly by 3.5 years old and a boy by four years of age but both would still be considered to be talking typically. This is why if you look at those developmental milestones checklists, it's the same for both boys and girls. Check out cdc.gov for CDC's Milestone Tracker App which you can download for free.

2. FACT or FALLACY? “Late lang 'yan magsalita pero makakhabol din siya kagaya ng tito niya na four years old nagsalita na wala naman ginawa.”

It's true that a speech and language disorder can be inherited such that a family member having this condition can often be identified. However, there's no guarantee that your child will catch up without any intervention same as his uncle who started talking at a later age without his parents doing anything.

When it comes to your child, you will not want to take any chances because if he does not talk he will be the one to suffer the consequences and not your well-meaning relative who wanted to reassure you.

3. FACT or FALLACY? Being tongue-tied (ankyloglossia) is a cause for my child's speech and language delay.

If you curl the end of your tongue to the back of your lower teeth and try to talk, you will see that you can still talk in sentences but you will not talk clearly. So the issue would be more with articulation rather than the ability to put words together.

However, if the parents really have a concern about it then I refer them to an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Thorat) specialist. I give them a heads up that release of tongue tie will be done under general anesthesia in the operating room as the area affected is highly vascular and prone to bleeding. By the way, a speech pathologist once told me that if a child's tongue can go past his lips, then it's long enough for talking.

Try teaching your child one language first. | Source: Photo by Pragyan Bezbaruah on Pexels

4. FACT or FALLACY? Children growing up in bilingual or multilingual homes are delayed in their speech and language development.

After extensively reviewing the evidence, I would say that the jury is still out on this. I do know for a fact that speech and language pathologists recommend that parents to stick to one language first. What we do know is that children's brains are like sponges that absorb all the different languages and dialects and are able to converse using a certain language depending on who they are talking to.

For example, a Filipino child can talk in Tagalog to her Filipino mother, English to her American father, and Waray to her yaya! So if your child seems to be delayed and many languages are spoken at home, try using only one for a while and see if it helps.

5. FACT or FALLACY? My child's screen time during the pandemic has dramatically increased leading to a delay in his speech and language development.

Screen time whether by gadget, laptop, or TV does hinder a child's speech and language development. They may help a child learn new things but it does not benefit their communication skills. Some shows have characters that don't talk. The fast pace of the dialogue can also come across as gibberish to the child. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following:

For children younger than 18 months, use of screen media other than video-chatting should be discouraged.

Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming/apps and use them together with children, because this is how toddlers learn best. Letting children use media by themselves should be avoided.

For children older than two years, media limits are very appropriate. Limit screen use to no more than one hour or less per day of high-quality programming. Co-view or co-play with your children, and find other activities for to do together that are healthy for the body and mind (e.g., reading, teaching, talking, and playing together).

All children and teens need adequate sleep (eight to12 hours, depending on age), physical activity (one hour), and time away from media. Designate media-free times together (e.g., family dinner) and media-free zones (e.g., bedrooms). Children should not sleep with devices in their bedrooms, including TVs, computers, and smartphones.

Download the Family Media Use Plan and try out out the Media Time Calculator on healthychildren.org.

I hope this article helps you to continue supporting and celebrating your child's speech and language development. In Proverbs 25:11 it says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”