Child does not speak at 2 years old: causes, treatment

A child does not speak at 2 years old: causes, symptoms, is it worth contacting a neurologist? The child does not speak at the age of 2 years. Normally, upon reaching this age, the baby should actively communicate with parents and loved ones, otherwise this may be a sign of SPD

From the first days of a child’s life, the most important component of human life begins to form – SPEECH. The ability to speak and understand the speech of other people is inextricably linked with processes such as memory, attention, and thinking. Only with the help of speech can a person fully exist and harmoniously join the society of other people. Therefore, it is extremely important for parents to know the basic norms of speech development in children and the symptoms that may signal certain deviations in order to begin treatment on time and prevent serious problems in the child’s health in the future.

Norms of speech development

Let's look at the basic norms of speech development in children. Many parents believe that before their child speaks his first words (often around the age of about a year), it is useless to talk to him, since he still does not understand anything and cannot yet learn anything. But this is an extremely erroneous opinion, because speech development begins from the first days of a baby’s life.

The first stage of this process is screaming . While the baby was in the mother's belly, all his needs were satisfied instantly. But, finding himself in a completely different environment, he needs to find a way to somehow express himself and give a signal that his needs are not satisfied (wet, want to eat or sleep, sad, etc.). That is, a cry becomes a signal of discomfort at the level of an unconditioned reflex.

The second stage is humming . It usually occurs at the age of one to two months and accompanies the child in the first six months of life. These are different variations of sounds: a-a-gu, gee-s, ge-e, a-gy, etc. With the appearance of a significant adult, the child’s chatter becomes much more active, he looks into your eyes, waits for your answer and is already trying to build a full-fledged verbal dialogue. It is very important to maintain this “dialogue” and talk with the child as much as possible.

Babbling is the third stage of speech development. A child begins to babble at approximately 6-7 months of age. The baby begins to pronounce individual syllables “ba”, “ma”, “ta”, etc. - at first once, very rarely and as if by accident. Gradually, syllables are heard in his speech more and more often, they are repeated in the form of chains: ba-ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma-ma.

The stage of first words begins at 11-12 months of a child’s life. He begins to associate words with objects in the environment, words are filled with meaning for him. By this time, the child has already formed an active (from 3 to 10 spoken words) and passive (up to 20 understood words) vocabulary. By the age of 1.5 years, the vocabulary increases to 40-70 words, and at 2 years the baby already uses from 150 to 300 words. The child begins to speak in sentences. At first they consist of two words (mama give, lalya boo, etc.), and then of three or four.

It is always worth understanding that each child develops individually, and if there are short-term delays in passing the stages of speech development, this is not yet a sign of deviations. But, if the delays are quite long or some stages of development are completely absent, this is a significant reason to contact a specialist.

Standards for developing speaking skills

It is important to note that normative indicators are fairly generalized and dry data. They do not take into account the individual physiological and psychological characteristics of the child, which in most cases play a decisive role. In many cases, only specialists can determine whether the baby has any difficulties or abnormalities.

Be that as it may, the official norms for the development of the speech apparatus in children are considered to be:

up to 5-6 months – the period of humming, when the baby makes sounds that are intonationally similar to familiar words;
7-8 months – 1 year 2 months – imitation of animals, repetition of monosyllabic words (“give”, “ma”, “ba”, “meow”, “woof”);
1 year 2 months – 2 years 6 months – expansion of vocabulary, compilation of the first phrases, phrases and sentences;
2 years 7 months – 3 years 5 months – consolidation and clear formulation of sentences, word games, composing stories out loud.

It should also be taken into account that girls begin to speak much earlier than boys. They actively imitate adults, quickly copying their words, intonation and pronunciation. In turn, boys find it easier to form grammatically correct sentences.

Why may a child not speak at 2 years old?

Normally, upon reaching the age of two, the baby should actively communicate with parents and loved ones, call a spade a spade, and tell various stories. But it happens that a child at 2 years old does not yet utter any words or does it very poorly. The reasons for this may be:

No need for speech . This can happen in two opposite situations. Firstly, when parents hardly talk to the child, he spends a lot of time in front of the TV or computer - there is simply no one to communicate with. Secondly, when parents try to say everything for the child, predict his desires by gestures and sounds, formulate simple questions that can be answered “yes/no” - then the baby simply has no need to engage in communication.
Hereditary diseases that are accompanied by speech development delay (SSD)
The nature of the speech of parents and the environment . If the speech of the adults around the child is fluent, fast, and unclear, then the children are not able to repeat all this.
Difficult labor (rapid, with entanglement of the umbilical cord) or trauma to the child during birth (trauma to the cervical spine and/or central nervous system) can also lead to delayed speech development in the child
Severe infections and traumas (psycho-emotional traumas as well) suffered by the child at an early age, which negatively affected the overall development of speech in the child. It is also important to understand that delayed speech development can be an accompanying symptom of more serious diseases, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy or congenital abnormalities of the central nervous system.

What environment will positively help a child quickly form correct speech?

If a two-year-old child does not speak or demonstrates poor speech abilities, you should pay attention to such environmental parameters as:

active communication between family members;
the presence of sufficient communication between the child and his peers (or slightly older children);
absence of constant distracting noise (loud TV, computer, etc.).

It is necessary, first of all, to provide a high-quality language environment in which the child can easily perceive the speech of others, understand it and, accordingly, reproduce it independently.

Delayed psycho-speech development

Delayed psycho-speech development (DSRD) is the consequences of deviations in the development of the central nervous system and brain, which manifest themselves in the form of disturbances in the rate of mental development of the child (his memory, attention, speech, thinking, emotional-volitional sphere).

Delayed psycho-speech development is often diagnosed at the age of 2-3 years, although the first signs can be detected as early as 4 months. But the later the diagnosis of SPR is made, the more difficult it will be to get rid of it in the future.

There are very important signs of the presence of SPD that parents can detect on their own. Children experience increased salivation, often have a slightly open mouth, they are unemotional or, conversely, hyperactive and aggressive, and are poorly developed physically. Key symptoms indicating possible PVD are:

4 months - the child does not respond to your words and gestures, does not smile.
8-9 months - the child does not babble.
1 year - the child practically does not make any sounds, and by 1.5 years he does not say the simple words “mother”, “give”, and does not understand speech addressed to him.
2 years - does not repeat new words, uses very few words in his speech.
2.5 years - uses only about 20 words, does not understand the names of body parts, objects, cannot form a simple phrase.
3 years - the child cannot repeat a phrase after an adult or form an easy sentence, speaks too slowly, or vice versa quickly, “swallowing” their endings.

If you notice similar symptoms in your child, do not let the situation take its course - contact a pediatric neurologist as soon as possible to establish a specific diagnosis. The earlier the child’s age, the greater the chances for a successful comprehensive recovery and proper development of the child in the future.

Consequences of developmental delay

Parents who expect their child to speak by age 3-4 should understand that lack of speech can lead to various disorders:

mental retardation;
ticks;
psychological problems.

To eliminate developmental delays, neurological, psychological and speech therapy assistance is required. By age 7, a child should be ready for school. If therapy is not provided to a child, developmental delays can affect his entire future life.

Treatment and correction of speech delay

The Bersenev Medical Center provides comprehensive treatment for delayed psycho-speech development in children. The clinic’s specialists draw up an individual program for the treatment and correction of mental retardation for each individual child. The program includes a set of rehabilitation activities carried out by a pediatric neurologist, massage therapist and speech therapist. A psychologist, a reflexologist and, of course, parents also take part in the treatment.

One of the main tasks of parents is to eliminate the causes that caused the delay in psycho-speech development (this applies to families with an unfavorable environment). Very important points in treatment are attentiveness to the child, moral support and patience, because correction of PVD is a complex and painstaking process.

If you detect the problem in a timely manner and contact a specialist, complete all the appointments and have a good attitude, you are guaranteed to have good results, high effectiveness of treatment, and the fact that ZPRD will not affect your child’s future in any way.

How to encourage a child to talk a lot and competently?

Many children tend to withdraw into themselves in the process of formulating phrases or even single words and not say them out loud. For the active development of the speech apparatus in two-year-old children, experts advise:

Do not scold your child for silence or mistakes. This can form a child’s negative attitude towards conversations, and he will not want to do anything in this direction.
Encourage the baby for pronouncing words, praise for new speech manifestations.
Repeat the names of objects many times during games, walks and other activities.
Ask questions and wait for the child to answer. It is important not to interrupt the baby and not finish words and sentences for him.
Wait until the baby expresses his desires in words. So, if a child points his finger at a glass, parents can pretend that they do not understand him until he says the word “drink.”
Read a lot of fairy tales, stories and stories, sing songs together and recite simple rhymes.
Communicate with the child a lot and correctly, without babying or distorting words. For better perception, parents should clearly articulate and simplify their own speech into short phrases and words.

To track progress, you can keep a separate notebook in which parents can note the appearance of new sounds and words in the baby.

Each baby is unique and different from others, and the pace of its development may also differ. Some skills appear earlier, while others may be delayed. It is often difficult for young parents to understand whether their child is developing according to age.

“Don’t panic and don’t invent illnesses for your child!” – thanks to precisely such “calming” advice, many children end up seeing a specialist much later than they should. If you hear them too, but still feel that something is wrong, consult a doctor! Below are ten signs that your baby may not be developing as expected. If any of these sound familiar, don't listen to "good advice" and take action.

The child is not gaining weight. Babies at different stages of their development may gain weight faster or slower. Sometimes this is influenced by additional factors, such as a cold or inflammation of the urinary tract, which can lead to the baby being slightly behind in weight. However, a sharp and prolonged inhibition of weight gain is something else. Sudden loss of weight already gained requires special monitoring. Such situations require a broader diagnosis and exclusion of serious violations
The child constantly screams. It may happen that a completely normally developing child reacts to discomfort by crying. However, every healthy baby also has very long periods of quiet wakefulness and sleep, and these should be significantly longer than the crying time. If you have the impression that your baby cries almost non-stop, don't fool yourself. There is a chance that the child is suffering from pain, for example due to infection or inflammation. Immediate consultation with a doctor is necessary.
The child is not interested in the environment. This behavior is often perceived as a manifestation of good manners and a calm character. Unfortunately, this approach often delays diagnosis and treatment. A child may be naturally calm, but he should still be interested in his environment. If you have the impression that contact with your child is difficult, that he is not interested in you, brothers and sisters, or toys, contact a specialist. The cause may be autism, deafness and many other disorders.
A few months after birth, the baby does not focus on your face or toys. Of course, your child's development does not have to be “textbook”. Some babies focus on faces and objects at three months, others only at four or five months. However, if the situation does not change after the first six months of the baby’s life, it is no longer possible to talk about the individual pace of development; this is a symptom of a disorder associated with visual defects.
The child spits up very often. There are children who do not spit up at all, and there are those who spit up quite a lot. Both of them can be quite healthy. However, if your baby burps several times immediately after eating, trust the experts.
The child walks on tiptoes. Walking on tiptoes is quite normal for a child who has recently started walking. But if after several months nothing changes, this may indicate a problem with the Achilles tendon or tissue. It is worth consulting a neurologist.
At one and a half years old, the child does not respond to his name. Already a one-year-old child should automatically turn his head after someone says his name. If he doesn't do this, it's always a cause for concern. The most common causes of this anomaly are hearing problems or autism.
The child does not speak. A 2-year-old should talk, and don't be fooled by stories like "my niece's cousin started talking at age 4 and boys generally start talking later." Another thing is the number of words in a child’s vocabulary. There are two-year-old children who speak only a few words, but besides these they also use a lot of gestures. Such a child will quickly make up for lost time in the coming months. It’s another matter when the child doesn’t speak at all and doesn’t even know gestures.
A three-year-old child has poor motor coordination. Some children are said to be “clumsy” if their motor development differs markedly from their peers. Don't let this label attach to your child. The backlog in this area requires rehabilitation. If your 3-year-old is still stumbling, has difficulty walking up stairs, is still drooling, and is still slurring his speech, see a neurologist and ophthalmologist. These symptoms may indicate vision problems or problems with muscle tone.
A three-year-old child has cognitive problems. Properly developing three-year-old children love to play in a group, draw, play with toys, and are already able to concentrate on one operation for several minutes. If you see that your child’s cognitive development is progressing differently, react. Alarming symptoms: reluctance to draw, lack of interest in toys, games and difficulty concentrating. The cause may be hypoxia during childbirth or nervous system disorders. Contact your pediatrician! Reacting to early signals of disturbances is not “excessive panic” and “inventing illnesses for the child.” This is a manifestation of maturity and responsibility - only you, the parents, are responsible for ensuring that your child receives help on time.

Doctor – pediatrician Shabelnikova Ya.I.