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According to studies, 1 in every 20 children shows symptoms of language impairment. There are two types of language disorders. This includes expressive language disorder or the inability to get their message across and receptive language disorder or the inability to understand the message coming from other people. Some kids have either one of these two while there are those who suffer from both.
Language development starts from as early as the infancy stage. In order to complete language development, children must be able to hear and comprehend the message that they come across with. They must also be able to remember the said message, whether on a short term or a long term basis. Once the idea is stored in their memory, they can use it again when faced with a similar context. However, there are those who have not fully developed in terms of language learning.
Causes of Language Impairment
One of the most common reasons for language impairment is physical disability. Some kids develop hearing problems while others develop speech problems. As a result, they cannot fully understand what other people are saying. There are those who are born with it while some others have experienced accidents resulting to brain injury or hearing loss. Lack of intelligence and learning disabilities may also lead to language impairment.
Language Impairment vs. Delay in Language Development
Delayed language learning is not the same with language impairment in a sense that children are still able to master the language. The only problem is that it takes them a much longer time to fully develop compared with normal children. Those who have language impairment on the other hand do not normally develop speech and language related skills . They might have acquired some skills, but are too weak in some others.
Diagnosing Language Impairment
Kids who have close relatives with speech and language development problems will have a chance to develop the problem as well. There are standardized tests for both receptive and expressive language problem diagnosis that can be taken. Language and speech therapist or neuropsychologists are given the authority to administer the test. In other cases, an audiogram is done to ensure that deafness is not the reason for language impairment. There are quite a few cases in which the parents failed to realize that the reason behind their kid’s language problem is because of hearing loss.
Treating Language Impairment
Speech and language therapies are highly recommended to solve the problem. Experts in this field will create a customized learning curriculum to ensure that the learner will be able to develop the missing aspects in language learning. However, there are other cases in which psychological therapy is advised. There are kids who might have already learned how to speak and are able to understand others, but are hesitant when interacting with others. Thus, with the help of counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy, they become more comfortable in dealing with other people. They might also have other issues that could finally be resolved through this therapy.
What Should Parents Do
Parents who have children suffering from this problem must be very understanding. It takes time before they can finally gain their ability to speak. In certain instances, they won’t be able to develop it at all. Thus, parents need to be more patient and supportive of their children. Gradual developments must be given recognition so that they will be motivated to learn more. However, they must not in any way be pressured to learn the language.