Over 50? Keeping Up With Your Healthcare Needs

Does Your Child Have Speach Problems? Hearing, Orthodontics And Development Could Be The Problems

10 February 2015

Nellie Ryan

If your child isn't speaking clearly or properly, and you think it's affecting their ability to progress, you'll want to get them to a pediatrician to see if they need a specialist. There are a couple of different things that could be affecting their ability to talk.

You don't want to let a hearing, orthodontic or developmental problem go without treatment because it can get worse and delay their development. Here are a few things you want to talk with your pediatrician about, so you can see the right specialist to help with the problem.

Orthodontic Issues

Your child may not be able to clearly speak words, or enunciate because they have an orthodontic problem. There could be a problem with the development of their jaw bones or their pallet, which causes tongue movement to be difficult for the child. It may also prevent the tongue from landing in the correct spot.

If the pediatrician does think this could be a concern, you'll want to have the child examined by an orthodontic expert. They may need braces or other corrective treatment to fix the problem.

Hearing Disabilities

A hearing disability could prevent your child's social and academic development. If they can't hear properly, they may be talking like how they hear you. They also may talk loudly, and have difficulty grasping what they learn. If the pediatrician thinks they could have a hearing problem, you want to see an ENT right away.

You will want to have your child's hearing screened by a specialist, to see if they need to have tubes in their ears, or possibly hearing aids to help with their problem. Hearing loss affects 2 out of every 100 kids under the age of 18 years, so it's worth taking the time to have your child screened.

Developmental Concerns

Your child could just have delayed speech development, and you'll want to have them work with a speech therapist if they do. The therapist can help them speak more clearly, and will give you exercises and information on how to prevent them from falling back into their old habits.

If your child isn't speaking correctly and it's starting to worry you, talk with your pediatrician to see what specialist you need to see. You want to make sure that your child can learn and comprehend things as needed at an early age, and they may need orthodontic treatment, hearing aids or special therapy for assistance.

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