Delayed Speech Development In Toddlers: Tips To Speed Up The Process
As your little one approaches toddler hood, you have to look out for several stages of development, like talking and walking. But all toddlers are not early talkers, and it can worry many parents who start wondering if there is something wrong with their kids.
Many toddlers face a speech delay, and it may happen for a number of reasons. In the majority of the cases, toddlers with delayed speech development end up speaking fine and clear in the later years. If your toddler is taking more time than usual to talk, here are some simple tips that can follow to speed up the process.
Read books with your toddler together.
Reading books with your toddler can be beneficial for them. Babies will not stay on the same page for too long. But your goal is not to finish reading all the text; instead, focus on piquing their interest and boosting them to verbally communicate their experiences.
Make words bigger
Your toddler might be able to speak a few words. So, you can begin by adding more words to whatever they try to convey. For instance, if your little one hands you a red toy car and calls it a "car," then hand the car back to them and say, "Yes, a big car, a big, blue car." Take whatever they are handing you, and keep adding more words before giving it back. This strategy can be useful from a tender age.
Imitate words and sounds
When your little one is trying to speak a word, use that word and imitate it. This strategy is similar to imitating babies when they babble. You imitate their words and sounds to let them know that they are being adequately heard. Your toddler, in turn, will also begin imitating your words, thereby expanding their vocabulary and improving their speaking skills.
Sing to your toddler and act out rhymes or songs
Songs and rhymes stimulate emotional connection and memory. Act out songs like “Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes” while pointing to all the body parts can strengthen your toddler’s memory of how to say those words. Several late-talkers will understand when you ask them to point at their nose or show their hands, but they require some additional encouragement to learn how to utter those words.
Make your toddler play with kids that talk more.
In some cases, children learn better and faster from other kids. It is the reason why many toddlers learn to talk more once they start going to school. You can organize play dates for your toddler with other kids of their age. It will encourage your child to learn faster and speak more.
Eventually, Most children learn to speak fluently, but if nothing seems to work, it is best to get them evaluated by a speech therapist.
