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What Causes Delayed Speech Development In A Child?
my 21/2 year old niece is non verbal. She can say bye and answer questions with a grunt, but she does not talk. She is walking and has good motor functions, but we are concerned that her cousins, of the same age, seem to be outperforming her cognitively. What should be our next steps?
Wed, 24 Aug 2016
Hello,
I can understand your concern. If the development of other systems and area of your niece is normal, then it is just the speech problem.
Sometimes, children are born with a tongue tie, that is, there is a muscular attachment under the tongue that does not allow the tongue to move and the child cannot talk, though the listening ability and responses are normal.
If your niece has good listening ability and response rate, then you should consult a dentist to check for the tongue tie. If the tongue is tied, then little surgical treatment can free the tongue and she can talk.
However, if the tongue is not tied, you should consult a speech therapist for the issue of speech.
In addition, if your niece has other problems related to cognitive development, I would advise you to consult a pediatrician to diagnose any syndrome your niece might be suffering from.
I hope this information helps you. Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic. I wish your niece can talk soon.
Best,
Dr. Viraj Shah
I can understand your concern. If the development of other systems and area of your niece is normal, then it is just the speech problem.
Sometimes, children are born with a tongue tie, that is, there is a muscular attachment under the tongue that does not allow the tongue to move and the child cannot talk, though the listening ability and responses are normal.
If your niece has good listening ability and response rate, then you should consult a dentist to check for the tongue tie. If the tongue is tied, then little surgical treatment can free the tongue and she can talk.
However, if the tongue is not tied, you should consult a speech therapist for the issue of speech.
In addition, if your niece has other problems related to cognitive development, I would advise you to consult a pediatrician to diagnose any syndrome your niece might be suffering from.
I hope this information helps you. Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic. I wish your niece can talk soon.
Best,
Dr. Viraj Shah
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