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(Unit 8) Topic 3: Speech and Language Milestones​

3 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Causes of Speech and Language Delays

​Topic 3 Page 16

There are numerous things that can delay a child’s speech and language development. We’ve discussed typical development, the red flags to watch for, and the response to red flags. Now, let’s consider what causes speech and language delays that will raise red flags and concerns for parents and caregivers alike.​  

Physical

​Physical impairments can cause a wide range of speech and language delays. These may span from structural changes of the mouth, tongue, jaw, throat, teeth, or neck. Physical abnormalities such as cleft palate, missing teeth (as part of typical or atypical development), jaw alignment, or weakened muscles in the mouth can cause speech to be affected in many ways. Some children may experience difficulties in speaking or enunciating words and sounds. Others may be completely unable to produce speech. Even further there may be major structural changes that make it so a child is unable to produce speech at all.

Cognitive

​Some children experience cognitive development differences which result in either delayed speech, lack of speech, or challenged speech. These causes can be numerous as well and often are a result of neurological processes that are interrupted or unable to connect for some reason. Other times it may be a temporary setback or the result of a traumatic brain injury. ​

Hearing 

​Hearing speech and repeating it is the fundamental way to learn to speak. Children who have hearing impairments due to physical or cognitive differences will typically experience a speech delay. At times these hearing impairments can be temporary and can be reversed. Other times they can be the result of an injury or illness that causes permanent damage. Children with hearing impairments that are not reversible can still acquire speech and do develop language, but not a spoken form. ​ 

Social and Emotional 

​Although less common, it is possible for children to experience a speech and language delay as a result of a neglectful upbringing with a lack of social interactions and exposure to human language. “Feral” is a term that is used in extreme cases that involve a complete and total lack of human interactions of any kind. These are extremely rare cases. 

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