Why does a 2-3-year-old child not speak – how to get a silent child to talk

The kid is already almost 3 years old, and there is no way to get him to talk? This problem is quite common today. Moms get nervous, panic and don’t know where to “run”. What to do? First of all – exhale and calm down, unnecessary emotions in this matter are useless.

We understand the issue together with experts …

The content of the article:

Speech test of a child 2-3 years old – speech norms for this age

Is the child’s silence just his or her peculiarity, or is it time to run to the doctor?

First of all, you need to figure it out what exactly the baby should be able to do by this age.

So, by 2-3 years old baby

• Actions (his own and others’) accompanies (pronounces) the appropriate sounds and words. For example, “chug-chukh”, “bi-bi”, etc.
• Almost all sounds are pronounced correctly. Perhaps, with the exception of the most difficult ones – “p”, “l” and hissing-whistling.
• Able to name action, objects and qualities.
• Tells mom and dad fairy tales, various stories and reads mini-poems.
• Repeats words or whole phrases after parents.
• With the exception of the participle participle, he uses all parts of speech in a conversation.
• The vocabulary is already quite large – about 1300 words.
• Able to name almost every item from the picture, consisting of 15 items on average.
• Asks about unfamiliar objects.
• Combines words into sentences.
• Feels the melody, its rhythm.

If you put a minus sign on at least half of the points, sighing, it makes sense to consult your pediatrician (to begin with).

Reasons why a child at 2-3 years old does not speak yet

There are many reasons for the silence of the baby. You can conditionally divide them into “medical” and “all the rest.”

Medical reasons:

• Alalia. This violation is a gross underdevelopment of speech or its absence at all due to the defeat of specific centers of the brain / brain. In this case, a neurologist is engaged in diagnostics.
• Dysarthria. This violation is the result of malfunctions in the functioning of the central nervous system. Of the manifestations, one can note the fuzziness of speech, underdevelopment of fine motor skills and limited mobility of the organs of speech. Most often, this disease accompanies cerebral palsy, and the diagnosis itself is made by a speech therapist and only after long-term observation of the child.
• Dislalia. This term is used in violation of the pronunciation of sounds – both one and several. It is usually corrected with the help of a speech therapist from 4 years old.
• Stuttering. The most famous violation that coincides with the period of mental active development and appears after the fright of a crumbs or problems in the family. Correct this “defect” together with a neurologist.
• Hearing impairment. Unfortunately, with this feature, the child perceives the speech of those around him very badly, and with deafness, he completely distorts words / sounds.
• Heredity. Of course, the fact of heredity takes place, but if by the age of 3 the child has learned how to put words at least in simple sentences, then you have a reason for concern – you should contact a specialist.

Other reasons:

• Changes in a tiny life. For example, a new place of residence, adaptation in a d / garden or new family members. At the time of the baby’s getting used to new circumstances, the development of speech is slowed down.
• No need for speech. Sometimes it happens. For example, if the child has absolutely no one to communicate with, if they communicate with him extremely rarely, or when the parents all speak for him.
• Bilingual children. Such babies often begin to speak later, because mom and dad speak different languages, and it is difficult to master both crumbs at once.
• The kid is just in no hurry. Such is the individual feature.

We turn to specialists for help – what kind of examination is necessary?

If, comparing the “indicators” of your baby’s speech with the norm, you find cause for concern, then it’s time to pay a visit to the doctor.

Who should I go to?

• First – to the pediatrician. The doctor will examine the baby, analyze the situation and give referrals to other specialists.
• To a speech therapist. He will conduct testing and determine what is the level of development and the actual speech of the baby. Perhaps, to clarify the diagnosis, he will send you to a neuropsychiatrist.
• To lore. Its task is to check the relationship between speech delay and the existing problems of the articulatory apparatus (in particular, a shortened hypoglossal frenum, etc.). After examination and audiogram, the doctor will draw conclusions and, possibly, refer to another specialist.
• To a neurologist. After a series of procedures, a qualified specialist will quickly determine if there are any problems in his profile.
• To a psychologist. If all other options have already “disappeared”, and the reason has not been found, then they are sent to this specialist (or to a psychiatrist). It is possible that everything is much simpler than the panicked mom thinks.
• To the audiologist. This specialist will check for hearing problems.

Into complex diagnostics usually includes examination and age testing (approx. – on the Bailey scale, early speech development, Denver test), determination of facial muscle motility, verification of speech understanding / reproduction, as well as ECG and MRI, cardiogram, etc.

What can doctors prescribe?

• Drug therapy. Usually drugs in such a situation are prescribed by a psychiatrist or a neurologist. For example, to feed the neurons of the brain or to activate the activity of speech zones (approx. – cortexin, lecithin, cogitum, neuromultivitis, etc.).
• Procedures. To restore the full functioning of certain centers of the brain, magnetotherapy and electroreflexotherapy are used. True, the latter has a number of contraindications.
• Alternative treatment. This includes hippotherapy and swimming with dolphins.
• Pedagogical correction. A defectologist works here, who must correct negative trends in general development and prevent new deviations with the help of various rehabilitation measures and on an individual basis.
• Speech therapy massage. A very effective procedure, during which there is an effect on specific points of the lobes of the ears and hands, cheeks and lips, as well as the tongue of the child. It is also possible to appoint a massage according to Krause, Prikhodko or Dyakova.
• And of course – exercise, which will be performed at home with the baby by his parents.

Classes and games with a silent child – how to get a kid who doesn’t speak at 2-3 years old?

Of course, you shouldn’t rely solely on specialists: the lion’s share of the work will fall on the shoulders of the parents. And this work should be not daily, but hourly…

What “tools” do dad and mom have for practicing with the “silent man”?

• We glue pictures all over the apartment at the level of the eyes of the crumbs. It can be animals, cartoon characters, fruits and vegetables, etc. That is, we create a speech environment, increasing the number of places in the house that stimulate the baby to speak. We tell the child about each picture SLOWLY (children read lips), ask about the details, change pictures weekly.
• We are doing articulatory gymnastics. There are tons of tutorial books on the topic today – pick yours. Gymnastics for the muscles of the face is extremely important!
• The development of fine motor skills. This moment is also important for the development of speech, because the center of the brain, which is responsible for motor skills, borders on the center, which is responsible for speech. As exercises, games with sifting and pouring, modeling, drawing with fingers, searching for toys “drowned” in the croup, weaving braids, “finger theater” (including shadow theater on wallpaper), construction from a Lego set, etc. are suitable.
• Read books! As much as possible, often and with expression. The kid should be an active participant in your fairy tale or poem. When reading short rhymes, give your baby the opportunity to finish the phrase. Favorite children’s books for a three-year-old child.
• Dance with your child to children’s songs, sing together. Play and music are usually the best helpers for your silent person.
• Teach your kid to “grimace”. You can arrange contests at home – for the best face. Let the baby stretch her lips, click her tongue, stretch her lips with a tube, etc. Great exercise!
• If your child speaks to you with gestures, gently correct the child and ask to voice the desire in words.
• Charging for the tongue. We smear the sponges of the crumbs with jam or chocolate (the area should be wide!), And the baby should lick this sweetness to perfect purity.

The best exercises for speech muscles – we do it together with mom!

• We imitate animal voices! We place plush animals along the wall and get to know each of them. An important requirement – only in their “language”!
• Learning to smile! The wider the smile, the more active the muscles of the face, and the easier it is to say the letter “s”.
• We take 4 musical toys, in turn “turn on” each so that the child remembers the sounds. Then we hide the toys in the box and turn on one at a time – the kid must guess which instrument or toy sounded.
• Guess who! The mother makes a sound that the child knows (meow, woof, woof, zhzh, crow, etc.), and the child must guess whose “voice” it was.
• Put toys to bed every night. (and a daytime sleep for dolls also does not hurt). Before going to bed, be sure to sing songs to the dolls. The best educational toys for children 2-5 years old.

Pay attention to whether the baby pronounces sounds correctly. Do not encourage the curvature of words and sounds – immediately correct the child, and do not lisp with the child yourself.

Also, do not use parasitic words and diminutive suffixes.

The Colady.ru website warns: the information is provided for informational purposes only, and is not a medical recommendation. If you have problems with speech in a child, be sure to consult with your doctor.