Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
If your child doesn’t seem to be on track with their speech and language skills, you might feel concerned. Some parents might wonder, “Did I cause my child’s speech delays?” Or they may worry that decisions around child care or preschool could be a factor.
If you’re thinking along these lines, set aside the guilt, and don’t panic! Let’s discuss the common causes of speech delay, the role of parents in a child’s speech development, and how you can start helping your child today.
In this article:
1Did I cause my child’s speech delay?
2Parenting habits that can affect your child’s speech development
3Other causes of speech delays
43 ways to support your child’s speech and language at home
5How do you know if your child needs speech therapy?
Did I cause my child’s speech delay?
In extreme cases, neglect, abuse, or traumatic experiences can cause a speech delay. But the short answer is no: In an attentive home where children are engaged with and cared for, speech problems aren’t caused by parents or caregivers. That’s the case no matter how many children you have, and whether or not your child is in daycare, attends preschool, or is homeschooled.
However, while caregivers don’t cause speech delay, there may be things families do that keep a child’s speech from progressing as well as it could.
Parenting habits that can affect your child’s speech development
Take a look at these three common reasons for language and speech delays in children:
1 Talking for your child
When kids aren’t talking much yet, it’s easy for others to talk for them. Sometimes we may not give our child the chance to answer questions, like what they want to eat or wear. We just don’t ask them! Or maybe the child is asked a question, but those around them, like caregivers and siblings, assume they need to speak for the child.
No matter the situation, not giving your child the chance to talk can hurt their language development. Your child is learning that they can get what they need by having someone else speak for them.
2 Not reading books together
Our daily schedules are often packed. It can be easy to forget to take a few minutes to read with your child. But those minutes matter. One study revealed that when parents read just one book a day to their kiddo, by the time that child entered kindergarten, they’d heard a total of 1.4 million more words than kids who weren’t read to.
Reading with your child helps them improve their vocabulary, learn how to create sentences, and learn how to follow the order of stories. It’s important to read with your child every day, if possible.
To set up a reading routine, pick a time of day when your child is likely to settle down with you. The early evening is a great choice. Your child may be more likely to snuggle up after a long day. Right before naptime is another option that works well for some toddlers.
Try letting your child pick out the book, or choose books with topics and pictures they’re interested in. The more your child likes the book, the more they will absorb.
3 Letting your child use screens too often
It’s so tempting to hand kids a phone or tablet for some quiet time, but too much screen time can affect speech development. When kids are glued to screens, they miss out on valuable opportunities to interact, play, and engage in conversation—key activities that promote language growth.
Research shows that excessive screen time, especially before age 1, can increase the risk of language delays. For example, kids who watched too much TV each day were six times more likely to develop a language delay.
Parenting can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to fall into the habit of using screens as a distraction. But taking care of yourself—by managing stress and avoiding burnout—helps you be more present for your child and their language development needs.
If you’re struggling to support your child with a speech delay, you’re not alone. Expressable is here to help with online speech therapy that fits your schedule. Sign up for a free online consultation here.
Other causes of speech delays
A speech delay is often concerning to parents, and it may cause you to wonder about the cause. Often, several factors contribute to delays in a child’s language and speech development. Understanding the root cause of a delay is the first step to determining how to support your child effectively. Here are the most common causes of speech delays:
1 Oral impairment
Many kids with speech delays have oral-motor problems, which are related to issues in the areas of the brain responsible for speech. An oral impairment makes it hard to coordinate the lips, tongue, and jaw to make speech sounds. These children also might have other oral-motor issues, such as feeding problems that may require feeding therapy.
2 Developmental speech and language disorder
Some speech and language disorders involve brain function and may reflect a learning disability. Your child may have trouble making speech sounds, using spoken language to communicate, or understanding what other people are saying. Speech and language problems are often the earliest signs of a learning disability.
3 Hearing loss
A toddler who can’t hear well, or who hears distorted speech, is likely to have difficulty forming words. Sometimes recurrent ear infections cause this issue. Hearing loss is often overlooked, but the good thing is it’s also easily identified.
One sign of hearing loss is that your child doesn’t acknowledge an object when you say its name, but they do if you use a gesture, like pointing. However, signs of hearing loss may be very subtle. Sometimes a speech or language delay may be the only noticeable sign.
4 Autism spectrum disorder
Speech, language, and communication problems are often some of the first signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition to other developmental delays, children with ASD may have difficulty with verbal communication, both in terms of speech production and understanding social language. Sometimes they are also late talkers, or they exhibit repetitive speech patterns, such as echolalia (repeating words or phrases they’ve heard).
5 Lack of stimulation
We learn to speak from the people around us. So it’s hard for young children to naturally pick up words if people aren’t talking, playing, and interacting with them. Lack of verbal stimulation—particularly in their first few years—can cause children to reach speech and developmental milestones on a delayed timeline.
6 Neurological problems
Certain neurological problems, such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and traumatic brain injury, can affect the muscles and motor skills needed for speaking. These neurological issues can cause children to have difficulty controlling their mouth, tongue, and lips, which are all essential for clear speech.
3 ways to support your child’s speech and language at home
While it may be tempting to ponder the reasons for your child’s speech delay, it often feels better to think of ways to help them improve. There are lots of easy ways to help your child learn to communicate! In addition to reading together and limiting screens, here are three more things you can start doing today.
1 Talk to your child, even if they don’t yet respond
One easy thing you can do is talk to your child often and model new vocabulary words. “Modeling” simply means using those words in front of your child. Kids need to hear language and be engaged in conversation. Even if you don’t think your child will respond to you, talk to them anyway! The important part is to give them the chance.
You can also model conversations with other family members in front of your child. Kids can pick up new words and learn how to have a back-and-forth conversation by watching others.
2 Play with your child
Playing together is an important way to help your child with speech and language development. Here are two examples:
Playing with a baby doll: Your child can practice naming body parts or saying things like “baby is sleeping” or “night night.”
Playing with toy cars: Your child can make sounds (“vroom!” “beep beep!”) and act out pretend scenarios, such as a race between your car and theirs. Simple phrases like “Ready, set, go!” can help a child learn to use words for a purpose. When they hear or say the word “go,” they know that it means to push the car!
Cause and effect is a huge part of communication, and it’s also a big part of play. If a child pulls a block out of the tower, it's going to fall. If they push the button on the toy, it will make a noise. Similarly, if you tell someone what you need, you can get something in return. Play is an amazing way for kids to learn this concept of cause and effect.
3 Practice speech at your child’s level
It’s important to have realistic expectations for your child. A child who isn’t talking won’t suddenly start using sentences. Think of speech development as a ladder: kids need to climb up one rung at a time.
If your child isn’t yet talking, and they don’t use gesturing to express what they want, start with teaching them to point or make other gestures.
If your child is using some words, you can focus on teaching functional words. Functional words are ones that can easily communicate a want or a need, such as more, please, help, eat, and drink.
How do you know if your child needs speech therapy?
If you think your child is behind in their communication development, talk to your pediatrician for a referral for speech therapy. You can also contact a speech therapist directly to start a conversation. Speech therapists are trained to diagnose speech and language problems and help kids communicate as clearly as possible. Many children will need this professional help to catch up in their speech and language development.
Online speech therapy that fits your schedule
If you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development, it’s best to seek early intervention with speech therapy sessions so your child doesn’t fall further behind. Don’t hesitate to contact a pediatric speech-language pathologist, even if you simply want to ask some questions.
To get started, sign up for a free online consultation today with an Expressable specialist. We’re ready to help!
