Should I wait to see if my toddler catches up?

Why early intervention is important

by Analicia Lucas, SLP
Analicia Lucas provides pediatric speech therapy services in San Diego.

 

“Why isn’t my toddler talking?” As a speech therapist, I am often asked this question by concerned parents of 2 to 3-year-olds. The answer can be complex! If there is a history of speech or language delay in the family, children are more likely to have delayed speech or language. If a child is not exposed to enough language in their home, they can often have delays. There can also be a secondary problem, such as a learning disability or a second diagnosis.

 

This question can best be answered by seeing a qualified speech therapist for a personal evaluation. However, the most important question we can then ask is, “How can we help them to talk?” Many children end up showing negative behaviors because they have difficulty communicating.

 

When they notice a problem, some parents may decide to wait one or two years before they see a speech therapist because they have heard that kids will catch up on their own. While this may be true for a small percentage of the population, it is not true for the majority of kids!

 

Why, you ask? Well (getting into neuroscience here), I like to think of a child’s brain like a complex network of roads, with intersections helping people travel from one road to another. Imagine there were billions of roads in a certain city until the city planners decided to get rid of the intersections that were rarely used, only keeping the most commonly used intersections in working condition.

This is much like a child’s brain as they grow! Humans are born with 10 billion neurons, or brain cells. (This is almost all of the brain cells that a person will ever have through the course of their life!) The connections between them are called synapses, and are like the road’s intersections, where brain signals can travel from one neuron to the next. As a child grows, the brain weeds out the least-used synapses and keeps the ones that are most-used. For example, if a child hears the word “apple” many times while being shown an apple, each time, the connection between seeing the apple and hearing the word become stronger.

 

Eventually, the neural circuit for understanding “apple” would become very strong and efficient. Research tells us that neural circuits, or these connections between neurons, are the most flexible and changeable during the first 3 years of life. After age 3, neuronal connections that aren’t being used frequently start to be pruned away slowly, increasing the efficiency of other connections.

 

Let me be clear: it is never too late to start speech or language therapy and still have the possibility of achieving results! However, the earlier that therapy is started, the faster progress can usually be made. We call this fast approach “early intervention.” It is important to encourage children with language delays to use the skills they have and to develop new skills as soon as possible. This way, their very flexible brain will hold onto important neural connections.

 

Most children with speech delays need special help to start reaching their milestones. What can be done in the meantime, before you seek help from a therapist? Stay tuned for, “3 ways to help your toddler learn to talk.”

 

Do you need help tracking your child’s speech or language milestones? Here are some important milestones.

Contact Lake Murray Speech & Language for a screening or evaluation for your child today! 

Hello! My name is Analicia Lucas.  I’m a certified speech-language pathologist in San Diego. I’m the owner of Lake Murray Speech & Language, a private practice that provides in-office speech therapy as well as home visits. I graduated from Baylor University for my undergraduate and Gallaudet University for graduate school. I specialize in working with pediatric, deaf & hard of hearing, and Spanish-speaking clients with many different speech and language disorders and delays.  I believe that we should never give up on any child, no matter the case, and I strive to help each person I work with to reach their full potential! When I’m not working with clients, I enjoy cooking, reading, singing, playing piano, and spending time with my family.