What Should I Do if My Two-Year-Old Baby Still Cant Speak?

Update Date: 2024-05-27 Source: Network

1. What should parents do if their two-year-old baby still can't speak?

If a two-year-old baby still can't speak, parents should seek medical attention promptly to identify the cause and take appropriate measures. There are many reasons for a baby's inability to speak, and it is necessary to undergo examination for confirmation. Typically, babies over two years old should be able to speak simple sentences to express themselves, but some physiological or psychological issues may hinder their ability to speak. If a baby's pronunciation is very unclear and difficult to understand, the first step is to check for any issues with their vocal organs, hearing, or intelligence. If the baby has a short lingual frenulum, which can cause unclear pronunciation and poor expression, corrective surgery may be performed, such as frenulum division. Babies with hearing problems may not be able to speak at all and can only produce some syllables. Surgery or hearing aids may be required to help the baby hear and learn language. Babies with intellectual issues may require additional treatment and training.

2. Why does a baby speak late?

2.1 Physiological reasons may contribute to a baby's delayed speech development. Mothers should check for any adhesion in the baby's lingual frenulum, hearing problems, or illnesses such as cerebral palsy. If the baby's inability to speak is due to physiological reasons, prompt treatment is necessary to avoid missing the optimal treatment window.

2.2 The language environment refers to the people who speak to the baby. If the mother only speaks to the baby occasionally or if there are few other people who speak to the baby, or if the family's accents are mixed and complex, with a mix of dialects, English, and Mandarin, this can delay the baby's speech development. If the language environment provided to the baby is too monotonous or too complex, the baby may not receive effective stimulation, leading to delayed language development. Mothers need to make immediate changes, such as speaking more to the baby and temporarily unifying the family's accents to make it easier for the baby to understand and imitate.

2.3 Some mothers may be too "understanding" of their babies, immediately grasping their meaning from a gesture or action and fulfilling their needs. This can hinder the baby's language training, as they gradually develop the habit of using gestures instead of speaking, which delays their language development.