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Speech disorders in young children can be very difficult to diagnose because every child develops at a different rate. It isn't until the child reaches 3 years old that the cause can be determined and this can make for a very worrying few years for parents. To be able to communicate with your child in the early years is the toughest challenge and it isn't pleasant when your baby's frustrations develop into tamper tantrums. Speech disorder's only aggravate the situation as expression becomes almost impossible.

Symptoms of a speech disorder can be hard to detect in young children. Some may dribble excessively, their jaw might hang loose for long periods of time, they may have difficulty in chewing or swallowing lumpy food and they are often quite messy eaters due to a lack of muscle control.

A speech disorder can range from being quite severe to being correctable with professional help. The more severe cases are often diagnosed as being Dyspraxia which is an impairment or immaturity of movement. This can be misinterpreted as a lack of intelligence which is not at all the case, it just takes a little longer to learn certain things that other children may pick up more easily. There are easily treatable cases, where by the child is given some form of physiotherapy, concentrating the jaw and muscles surrounding the mouth. This can take from a few months to a year but it is usually the best way to retrain a child's mouth and involves strengthening exercises and movements.

The causes of a speech disorder can sometimes be traced back to when your baby was in your womb or during birth. If for some unknown reason your child didn't get enough oxygen in the womb or during labour then this could be responsible for the brain not developing as it should have. Physical deformities resulting in a speech disorder, such as a clef palate, can be down to basic genetics. In these cases an operation might be the only way to give your child some normality in everyday communication.

A way of communicating with a child that can't speak is signing. Although a lot of stigma is attached to sign language in today's society you should embrace it wholeheartedly as it will make both your life and the life of your baby a lot easier. Regardless of the details, if you suspect your baby has a speech disorder then get it checked out with a health proffessional as the earlier treatment is started the greater the chance for improvement.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Parker.
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