Importance Of Early Language & Speech Needs Identification

Language, speech & communication play an important role in our lives. A child starts communicating by crying when he feels hungry, A toddler might start using some sounds or words to communicate his needs. To communicate effectively one needs mastery over language skills as it allows to think and process new information and also to control ones behaviour. Speech is vocalised language learnt before written form of language.

A child may have communication, speech or language difficulty depending on a number of reasons due to birth defects or limited use & exposure to language at home. A child using dummy might not be able to speak clearly. It is important to identify speech language & communication at early stages of life as the child`s brain is still developing and it can support the child before the problem becomes more serious. Early identification can help the child to get the right treatment that can help him in other areas of development too. It can help & support the child with their emotional & mental well being.

The risk of late identification & intervention pose serious threat to the child`s overall development. A child has speech problems may find it harder to make relationships, and may feel isolated & left out or develop anti social behaviour. A child may not be able to express his own feelings & emotions and may therefore feel frustrated or show aggressive behaviour. He may see himself as a loner or one who is a laughing material and thus have low self esteem. the delay in identification may restrict him to read & write. A child may find it hard to understand the link between sounds, letter shapes and also to process complex sentences and information. therefore early identitification and intervention becomes vital to the childs development & life outcome.