What causes slurred speech?

Most babies start learning to speak at around one year old. Generally speaking, they can say most words by the age of two. But some parents find that their children always speak unclearly and their pronunciation is not clear enough. Many parents pay more attention to this problem. Although they correct their children's pronunciation many times, they still can't speak clearly. So what is the matter with unclear speech?

There are four main reasons for children's delayed language development or unclear speech:

1. Hearing problems.

2. Abnormalities of articulatory organs.

3. Children’s psychological and behavioral problems.

4. Intellectual disability.

Among them, hearing problems are the most common, so hearing screening after birth is very important. Current hearing screening technology can perform hearing tests on infants and young children 3 days after birth and clarify their hearing status within 3 months. Otoacoustic emissions are most commonly used, as they are short in time and non-destructive. Brainstem evoked potentials can also be used to confirm hearing. The hospital has all these equipments, which are quite complete. Children of all ages can be checked.

Children with problems can undergo hearing rehabilitation and intensive language training before they start babbling (6 months). Instead of waiting until the child is 2 to 3 years old or even later, when he or she cannot speak or speaks unclearly, we discover that the child has poor hearing. By then, the golden period for language development in the brain has passed. The road for the child to perceive sounds, perceive language, understand and speak normally will be long and arduous.

However, there are still many parents who do not think of taking their children to the hospital for examination until their children are two or three years old or even five or six years old, and find that their children cannot speak or speak unclearly. However, by then the best treatment period is often past, and even if they wear hearing aids, the effect of learning language is not ideal. Early detection, early diagnosis and early intervention are the key to the rehabilitation of deaf children.

If a child between 2 and 3 years old still has slurred speech, he or she should be taken to a professional hospital for examination in time to check for hearing problems and articulation and tracheal problems. If the child has problems, timely treatment is very necessary. Childhood is the golden period for children to learn language. If this period is missed, it will be difficult to reach a certain level in learning.