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About 5-10% of preschool-aged children have a developmental delay. THINK Neurology for Kids provides top-quality care for diagnosing and addressing developmental speech delays at their three locations. With offices in The Woodlands, Katy, Sugar Land, and Austin, Texas, you can avoid long waiting times and address the problem right away. If you’re concerned about your child’s development, call THINK Neurology for Kids or make an appointment online today.
Developmental Delay Q & A
What is a developmental delay?
As your child grows from an infant into toddler years, there are normal developmental goals they should meet. One of these is language development – both being able to understand you and express themselves. Children usually begin speaking at two years old, and forming sentences and communicating by three years old.
If you notice your child having difficulty or not wanting to speak by certain developmental life course markers, it might be time to consult a medical professional at THINK Neurology for Kids to see if they have a developmental delay.
What are the causes of speech delay?
There are certain risk factors for speech delay. Your child might be more susceptible to speech delay if they have a low birth weight, are a premature baby, or have a family history of speech or developmental delays.
Speech delay is a complicated subject, and every child is different. There are several issues that can cause your child to have a delay in speech. These can include:
- Hearing impairment
- Autism
- Psychosocial issues
- Intellectual disability
Children with autism and psychosocial issues may be reluctant to speak. Children with a hearing impairment or intellectual disability may not be able to learn words and sentence structure from mimicking the conversations of adults.
How is developmental delay diagnosed and treated?
The team at THINK Neurology for Kids works with your child to facilitate tests to understand your child’s language ability and developmental delay. Your child also undergoes tests to determine whether they have a hearing impairment or a condition like autism.
It’s helpful for the parent or caregiver to bring a history of the child’s developmental history, especially in regards to information like the date of first babbling, words, or sentences.
There are many ways to effectively treat a speech developmental delay. Most commonly, your child works with a speech therapist. If your child’s speech delay is a result of an underlying cause, like hearing impairment, a medical professional works with you to correct this issue.
The expert team at THINK Neurology for Kids works with you to provide the best services or referrals to address the underlying issues of your child’s developmental delay. Get help for your child’s speech delay today; call or make an appointment online.