What Can Affect Language Development In Children?

The best day of the life of a parent is when their child starts to speak, even if it maybe a few words. As the child grows and develops, he or she starts to improve in the language that they speak. Some children learn to speak and understand language more quickly than others but this does not mean that the other children who lag behind in terms of language skills are dull. There may be certain factors which make it difficult for the child to be able to comprehend language and speak which may range from the standard of care being given to the child to certain medical issues.

Under normal circumstances, a child is able to speak and understand multi-directional commands by the age of three years old but certain factors which have been delineated below can affect Language Development in Children:

Below mentioned are certain important factors which can affect language Development in Children.

Physical and Mental Health Status: The overall general physiological condition and motor development of a child has a huge influence in language development in Children. If a child suffers from prolonged and recurrent illnesses right from the time of the birth till he or she reaches about two or three years of age then the language capability of the child significantly gets affected. This is in part related to the child being isolated from others due to the medical conditions and not been given an opportunity to learn from siblings or others. This leads to a low self esteem and a lack of self confidence in the child which further affects Language Development.

Also, due to poor health condition and lack of self confidence the child loses interest in learning how to speak which is also a significant factor which affects Language development in Children. In some cases, hearing problems or deafness may also be a factor affecting Language Development in Children. In case if a parent has a doubt that their child may not be picking up words normally then a consult with an ENT physician may be of help.

Cognitive Development: Studies have proven that a child who speaks before the normal time is always high on the IQ level and children who speak late are a bit low on IQ when compared to those children who speak early. Hence it can be said that cognitive development and intelligence also play a crucial role in affecting the Language development in Children. The delay in language development in children may be due to many factors. It is seen that children who are mentally alert catch words early and hence are able to speak early and follow directions. This does not mean that children who start to speak late are dull. They can easily catch up and match with their peers in terms of language.

Learning while Growing Up: This is quite an important factor which may affect language development in Children. As the child grows, the vocal cords of the child start to mature and develop thus allowing the child to speak and by this time the child also starts to understand and pick words spoken around him or her. This is proven by the fact that most of the children learn how to speak by 2 to 3 years of age as this is when their vocal cords fully develop but in some cases even with normal development of vocal cords the child may not be able to speak properly. In such cases a lot of motivation and training is required. If this is not given then this significantly affects language development in Children. Thus it is important to constantly interact and speak to the child even if he is just a baby so that the child starts to grasp words and is able to comprehend and follow commands at an early age.

Social Environment: This is perhaps the most important factor which affects language Development in Children. Research has shown that children who do not have a favorable social environment around them and slow to speak and are extremely low in self confidence. This is mainly seen in orphanages where the environment is not at all suitable for a child to develop speaking skills. It is also proven through research that the impact of unfavorable environment in Language Development is more or less permanent.

Relationship with Family Members: The relationship of a child with his family members has a lasting affect on Language development in Children. While there needs to be love and protection given to the child the parent should not overdo it and also there should not ben constant tensions between the parents and the child as this leads to a lot of emotional problems and anxiety which ultimately affects Language Development in Children. Pampering the child too much also results in negatively impacting the Language Development in Children.

Number of People in a Family: Research shows that a family where there is a single child the development of the child language wise is much better than in a family where there are a number of children solely because of the level of competition that the small child has to face and this affects Language Development in Children.

Speaking Different Languages in one Family: Research has also shown that if there is a family where different languages are spoken then the child finds it difficult to comprehend and understand one single language and thus is affects Language development in Children. This is mostly seen in families in which parents belong to two different nationalities where the mother speaks one particular language and the father speaks another language with the child which causes confusion in the child’s developing brain and affects Language Development in Children.