experience intermittent middle ear
problems, especially those who suffer
from allergies and have constant
sniffles. In fact, we see a lot of middle
ear problems. It’s interesting because
research tells us that intermittent
hearing problems ¬– a problem where
sound doesn’t pass through the middle
ear because it’s blocked with fluid or
sometimes puss from an infection –
makes it more difficult for the child to
learn a fixed system of sounds, which
is what speech is. In fact, this type of
intermittent hearing problem can have
a greater impact than a permanent
mild hearing loss. The inconsistency
is the problem – if you’re sometimes
hearing and sometimes not, you don’t
develop very good listening attention.
Sometimes, these are the children who
have a lot to say but who aren’t alert
to speech or to other sounds in their
environment.”
If you’re worried about your
child’s hearing, arrange for a hearing
assessment to be carried out. Be sure
to check the assessment centre has
a good reputation for dealing with
youngsters.
Taking action
“Concerns about speech and language
development are very common in
the preschool years. And a speech
delay or a slightly different pattern of
development doesn’t necessarily mean
there is a disorder,” reassures Melinda.
If you’re concerned about
your child’s speech and language
development, Melinda suggests mums
make a few enquiries to create a body
of evidence, including talking with
your child’s teacher, to get a clear view
of how your child is doing away from
home and among their peers.
If your enquiries bring you to the
conclusion you need an assessment,
you can call a speech therapist directly
for an assessment. Some insurance
companies may require a referral from
your GP, so if your coverage includes
speech therapy, be sure to check the
correct process before proceeding.
What happens at speech
therapy?
“Speech therapy isn’t a medical
procedure that’s done to a child
that helps them get better,” says
Melinda. “It’s more helping the
parent to identify or learn things
they can do to make changes in their
communications at home that can
make it easier for the child to learn.”
Often, sessions are more focused on
coaching parents to help their child
learn from interactions in everyday
activities. The speech therapist will
model the appropriate behaviour from
parents in the session. In certain cases,
the therapist might introduce some
simple signing in the early stages of
communication development. This
helps the child to understand how to
represent basic concepts and enables
them to make simple requests,”
explains Melinda. “Research evidence
shows us that it’s much easier for a
child to understand a visual sign than
to process a spoken word.”
Early intervention
Early intervention is particularly
important here in Hong Kong, where
(whether you agree or not) early years
school programmes can include an
academic element such as phonics.
If you’re facing a developmental
challenge, your child could begin to
struggle earlier than they might in
places like Europe, the US or Australia
because formal learning begins as
young as two.
Melinda says, “Late emergence
of spoken language can be a serious
predictor of later language learning
difficulties. When we look at children
later on as they progress through the
education system, those who start
to show signs of a language-based
learning difficulty, for example
dyslexia, often have a history of initial
delay in expressive language. Not
always – and that’s important to note
– it’s not always the case, but early
speech and language difficulties can
be an indicator that something not
quite right in the language learning
system.”
Melinda concludes, “Early
intervention is important – for all
children, but especially for boys who
sometimes show a slightly later onset
of speech. A ‘wait and see’ approach
isn’t recommended in the area of
communication development as
language is such an important base
for a child’s future learning.” If you
are concerned at all, listen to your
intuition and make an appointment
with an expert.
For the early years, some general speech and language markers include:
First year
Although babies won’t talk, typical development will include a verbal exchange from infants,
often referred to as the baby ‘cooing’
By 1 years old
First words are spoken, the word itself isn’t important but a few words will begin to form
By 2 years old
Terrible Twos olds can typically put together two or more words to communicate
By 3 years old
By three most kids will be able to speak in short phrases and have a good vocabulary to
describe their world and their needs. Most children can be understood reasonably well by
others by the time they’re three
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