What to do if a 4-year-old has language delay

Language delay is a very serious condition. It is difficult to judge if the child is too young. However, when the child reaches the age of four, the intellectual development of the child is reflected intuitively. Language delay is a manifestation of intellectual retardation. The harmfulness is not only reflected in language expression. Intellectual problems are the biggest problem and must be solved in a timely manner. So, what should we do if a 4-year-old has delayed language development? Let’s take a look at the solution below.

Mild, temporary language delays occur in some children, and some children learn language faster than others, while others do not. If your child hasn't learned to speak by 18 months or can't say 50 words by his first birthday, you should consult a doctor. Because all children diagnosed with speech delay need to undergo hearing testing.

Correctly Identifying Language Delay

To determine whether a child has delayed language development, one must also consider his or her physical age. Generally, normal children start talking at around one year old, calling "Dad, Mom", but children with delayed language development may not start talking until they are two or three years old, and some may not even say a word until they are four or five years old. For preschool children, even if they have some of the above-mentioned language symptoms, parents should not blindly conclude that they have language delays. It is best to send them to a specialized institution for examination.

Usually, delayed language development is accompanied by other problems, such as head injury, intellectual disability, hearing impairment or deafness, emotional distress, and motor dysfunction of the respiratory and vocal organs. Therefore, during the examination, we should try our best to determine the cause of the child's delayed language development. Different causes require different language intervention measures.

How to prevent developmental delays

Growth retardation in children is actually a relatively broad concept, which includes physical growth retardation, such as dwarfism; delayed or agenesis of puberty; and abnormalities in psychomotor development, such as mental retardation and movement abnormalities. Prevention of developmental delay can start from the following aspects:

1. Nutritious diet

The most common cause of stunted growth is not only inadequate intake of protein and energy, but also inadequate intake of other macronutrients. Therefore, in daily life, children should be supplemented with sufficient protein and trace elements. Protein is the main component of the body's cytoplasm and body fluids. Its physiological function is to regenerate and repair body tissues. It is also an important source of energy. Protein is related to many digestive enzymes and the body's endocrine system. Therefore, if there is insufficient protein, the growth of new tissues will be restricted, the level and activity of growth mediators (SMC) will be reduced, and cartilage growth cannot be effectively stimulated, which will inevitably lead to dwarfism.

2. Get enough sleep

Sleep is closely related to growth hormone, which promotes height growth. The growth hormone level in the baby's blood remains high 24 hours a day, with no obvious difference when sleeping and awake. Children's growth hormone is only secreted during sleep at night, and is basically not secreted when they are awake. Its basic content is 91 micrograms/day. Adolescent boys aged 8-15 years old also secrete growth hormone when they are awake, but the amount is very small. It is mainly secreted during sleep. During deep sleep, the secretion of growth hormone increases sharply, reaching as high as 690 micrograms/day, which is 7.5 times that of infancy. Therefore, in order to help their children grow, we should pay extra attention to their sleep.

3. Get enough exercise

Exercise can promote blood circulation, improve bone nutrition, accelerate bone growth, make bones dense, and promote height growth. Children under 3-4 months old should lie on their stomach several times a day to promote whole-body activities. As they grow older, they should be taught basic abilities such as turning over, crawling, standing, and walking. Children should not be held or sit for too long. It is inconvenient for children to move their whole body while being held, and sitting for a long time will affect the development of their lower limbs. At the same time, after children learn to sit, they are often unwilling to learn to roll over and crawl. Regular exercise is also an important way to improve your physical fitness.

1. The basic way for children to learn a language is to imitate. Therefore, adults should talk to children more often, train children to imitate adults' language pronunciation, encourage children to speak, and learn to express their needs with words.

2. Provide more stimulation to encourage the child to speak: for example, start by asking the child to call "Mom". If the child does not call Mom, the mother should smile and nod. If the child still does not call Mom, you should still use a smile and nod to signal. Finally, if the child suddenly calls "Mom", you should hug or kiss the child enthusiastically. In this way, children will experience the love they get when they call "Mom" and will be motivated to speak.

3. Let children have more contact with society and nature:

More contact with society and nature will enrich children's lives, broaden their horizons and increase their knowledge, which will naturally lead to the desire to speak. If combined with language training, the child's language ability will be well developed accordingly.