More awareness needed on speech delays in children

Free Malaysia Today

Speech delays, which can affect up to 9% of children, is a condition where a person has difficulty in speaking or understanding words and sentences.  Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/11/15/more-awareness-needed-on-speech-delays-in-children/  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Rn6xEV Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2OCwH8a  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OKJbc6 Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3cpbWKK Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/2VUfOrv Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3B1e8lN Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/39dBDbe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #Children #SpeechDelay #SpeechTherapist

Transcript

00:00 It's hard to keep a toddler quiet, and it's perfectly understandable and even adorable.

00:06 After all, the little ones are just learning to express themselves.

00:10 But for some children, expressing themselves, even just to ask for food, is a real challenge.

00:16 It's a struggle that Farida Fazula and her husband, Ali Shan Sirbulan, know all about.

00:21 Their son Mikhail couldn't verbally communicate even after turning two.

00:26 There was no concrete diagnosis for him.

00:29 He said there were signs of autism, but he was very mild, but he was not diagnosed as autistic.

00:39 So instead of prescribing him with autistic treatment specifically,

00:46 so he said, "Okay, just try to send him to school and try to get speech therapy."

00:53 The couple enrolled Mikhail for an early intervention program for speech delays, and it paid off.

00:59 Before, he didn't even form a sentence.

01:04 Sometimes he'd just say one word, one word answer when needed.

01:09 And now he can say, "No, this is not correct."

01:15 So he can communicate in that sense.

01:19 And he's not scared of crowds.

01:25 He started saying hello to strangers, which he didn't do before.

01:32 Mikhail is not alone.

01:34 It is estimated that up to 9% of children suffer from speech delays.

01:39 This is why it is important for parents to keep close tabs on their child's speech development.

01:45 By the age of 3, children typically have a vocabulary of 100, 200 to 1000 words,

01:54 and are able to use some simple, short sentences to express themselves.

01:59 There are other signs too, aside from a limited vocabulary.

02:03 Difficulty to follow commands, follow instructions.

02:07 Difficult to express themselves by using words or gestures effectively.

02:13 Lack of social interaction with others.

02:16 Spotting signs of speech delay in children is important, as is accessing speech therapy,

02:22 which is where it gets complicated.

02:24 Options for treatment can be costly and scarce, especially in rural areas.

02:29 Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Khalid believes

02:33 the government can address this unmet need through a clear commitment

02:37 in the form of budgets and building capacity.

02:40 Awareness campaigns and equipping educators are another important aspect in early detection,

02:45 Azrul says, without which some children will continue to suffer in silence.

02:50 Natasha Bust and Anira Huda, FMT News.

02:53 you

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