Hi there! Welcome back to reading the 3rd episode of The Speech Parent. I’m so glad you’re here. Today we’re going to tackle the question – What Causes a Speech Delay? Let’s get started.
Did I Cause My Child’s Speech Delay?
As a practicing speech language pathologist, I have talked with so many parents who feel immense guilt for their child’s speech delay. They’re worried they caused it somehow or that it’s their fault. And man I just hate that! It’s hard being a parent, even harder being a speech parent, and we don’t need any more mom guilt! So release yourself from that guilt because the majority of the time – parents do nothing to cause it!
The exception to this is if you aren’t talking to your kid and they aren’t exposed to language. Obviously a severe lack of exposure can cause a delay. I read a true story from the book Good Morning Monster by Catherine Gildiner. In it, a parent locked a toddler in an upstairs room all day long by himself while they worked in the restaurant below. When this kid was sent to kindergarten they couldn’t communicate at all. But it was truly because he was deprived and neglected.
But most of the time, a speech delay is caused by a variety of factors that you really can’t control! So take a deep breath and release that guilt you’ve been carrying. You’re doing great.
Hearing Loss
A speech delay can be caused by hearing loss. This is why in most speech reports you’ll see a hearing screening or information on a hearing abilities. The SLP or the referring physician may look in your kid’s ears with an otoscope. Some kids are born with hearing loss. Some acquire it from a variety of causes, or maybe they just have a buildup of wax or fluid.
If your kid gets ear infections a lot, this is definitely something to talk about with your doctor! I’ve seen tubes make a world of difference for some kids. Imagine trying to learn a language when everything sounds like you’re underwater. It’s hard to hear certain speech sounds like /s/ or /f/ when you’ve got a mild hearing loss!
Oral Motor
Now another cause of a speech delay is oral-motor problems. And to make things even more complicated, I should explain that oral-motor issues can be structural based (such as a tongue tie) or neurological based (such as apraxia). I’ll do future episodes on tongue ties and apraxia if you want to learn more about those!
Autism
One cause of a speech delay that I’m sure you’ve heard of before. Often if you google it’s like the first thing that pops up – is autism. Let me get on my little soap box here and remind you that if you’ve met 1 person with autism, you’ve met 1 person with autism. Autism looks WILDLY different from person to person. I know many people that only think of autism as someone who is non-speaking, doesn’t make eye contact, and is physically aggressive. That is a possibility. But it can also look like hugs and affection, good eye contact, pretend play skills, and early reading skills.
There is a huge neurodiversity affirming movement happening now. I love that it’s ultimately showing that being autistic is NOTHING to be ashamed of or something to change. It’s beautiful, it’s powerful, and it’s just as valid as being neurotypical. In our case, they may just need some more support to communicate!
I’ll do many episodes in the future about autism – don’t you worry!
Conditions and Genetics
There are other conditions that you can be born with such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, or Intellectual Disability that can cause speech delays. There can be a genetic component as well – if you had a speech/language delay than your child is at more risk too. Again though, this is not your fault! You can’t control your genetics anymore than your child can!
If you’re listening to this episode and none of it seems to explain your child – you are not alone in this! Maybe someday your child will get a developmental delay diagnosis or autism diagnosis, or maybe not. I knnow it can be frustrating to not have all the answers, but you can still take massive action to advocate for your child and get them what they need.
And if you’re worried that your child may have a speech or language delay, the first step would be to talk to your doctor! Your child’s pediatrician can refer you to a speech language pathologist that can evaluate your child to see if they qualify for therapy. Generally speaking, insurances don’t want to cover therapy for kids that only fall in the mild range of delay because they believe they can catch up without assistance. However, if your child qualifies with a moderate, severe or profound delay in any of the categories we speech therapists evaluate for – your child can begin receiving speech language therapy.
I always always recommend getting an evaluation if you’re on the fence. You never know and there’s no harm in finding out – you can get peace of mind!
You didn’t cause their speech delay! And you’re doing great
As part of The Speech Parent mission, I want to help you – my fellow Speech Parent – by equipping you to advocate for your child and empowering you to foster their growth and development at home. So if you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to email thespeechparent@gmail.com , send me a dm on social media, or leave it in the (hopefully 5 star review) that you’re going to give this podcast.
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Thanks for reading the third episode of The Speech Parent podcast. Your support means the world to me and I’d love for you to tune in to all of the episodes to come. You are not alone, and I’m so glad you’re here.