Is speech delay children less intelligent is one of the issues that has caused a lot of controversy. Some people think that slow speech is definitely a sign of autism, definitely will be less intelligent, but there are also people who think that there are geniuses who are also slow to speak, such as Einstein. So what is the truth about the situation of children with speech delay?
Children who are slow to speak are also less intelligent?
Speech delay is one of the unusual problems encountered in many young children today. The stage of normal speech and language development, children start babbling from the first months of life, then begin to be able to speak and pronounce more clearly at the age of 12-15 months. Children over 2 years old can speak and understand more than 25 words, can say compound words and begin to ask questions to explore their surroundings.
Whether a child with a speech delay is less intelligent is one of the controversial issues. According to the old view that “slowly go hungry, slow to speak, rich” so children who are slow to speak are not a concern. Some even cite examples of geniuses who also suffered from speech delays. Meanwhile, some studies show that children with speech delay are often accompanied by cognitive decline.
So what’s the truth?
Speech delay is normal
Speech delay occurs due to many reasons and this is quite possibly a temporary condition, completely fixable. Children with speech delay are less intelligent if related to the latter, most of them are not too serious and can be overcome
- Children lack interaction with parents from early childhood and have to be friends with TV, computer, and phone too much. This is most of the reason for the current situation of children with simple speech delay, especially in the era when young parents are busy and do not know how to take care of their children, often letting their children sit still by showing them a some program.
- Children who have problems with the organs of speech, such as cleft lip, cleft palate, adhesions on the tongue or short jaw, etc. can also slow down their speech.
- Children have hearing problems such as deafness, ear infections because they cannot hear normally, so they do not know how to talk and interact.
- Children experiencing psychological problems, such as sudden shock, can also impair their speech and language development.
Most of these causes can be overcome from an early stage, children can develop normal language and cognition like other children. Children who are slow to speak are less intelligent, the answer is almost no in this case.
However, it should be known that sometimes these cases are also judged as less intelligent because when children cannot speak, do not understand what others say, the knowledge and information that they can receive or understand will also be lost. is limited. Children with poor perception of their surroundings are also considered to be less intelligent. However, after overcoming language problems, children who can talk and absorb knowledge as usual will show more obvious intelligence.
Children who are slow to speak are less intelligent
It is also completely correct to recognize that a child with a speech delay will be less intelligent if it is related to some brain development disorders. For example, children with autism, children with mental retardation or children with cerebral palsy will all have the same characteristics of delayed speech, even if they do not speak in the first years of life, their cognitive ability is also very limited.
Children with speech delay are less intelligent, the answer will be yes if it is related to the following factors
- Autistic children: Up to 90% of children with autism have cognitive deficits and abnormalities in behavior, language and communication skills. Children are not only slow to speak but do not even speak, do not communicate with others, do not know eye contact, do not know expressions. Due to limited intelligence, children cannot perform basic self-care behaviors, cannot distinguish right from wrong or dangerous problems, so they have to depend almost on family even when they are adults. for not being independent.
- Children with mental retardation: Children who are slow to speak are less intelligent, they certainly are if they are in this group. Because children with mental retardation only have an IQ of less than 70, which is below the average of a normal person, it is obvious that children are not intelligent. Most of this group of children only finish primary school because they cannot absorb and remember knowledge, especially if they study in a normal environment. Because of their limited awareness and intelligence, this group of children almost has to depend on shelter centers or family care even though they are adults.
- Children with cerebral palsy: the main cause of cerebral palsy is irreversible damage to the brain that does not progress over time, this condition is not only accompanied by abnormal movement disorders but also affects the brain. serious intellectual, cognitive.. Even children can’t go to school and go to school because they can’t sit still.
With the question that children with speech delay are less intelligent, related to these types of neurodevelopmental disorders, the answer is almost yes. Due to limited awareness and intelligence, most of these children cannot live independently as adults, cannot support themselves, but most of them need care from families or shelters. society.
Children who are slow to speak are geniuses
Statistics show that up to 10% of children with autistic speech delay are geniuses with exceptionally high IQs, up to 170. Autistic geniuses or high functioning autistic children are a special group of children with high IQ. outstanding ability in a certain area, such as memory, understanding of the ocean, math skills, painting skills or musical genius…
One of the most iconic examples of a child’s speech delay is the great scientist Albert Einstein. Some documents show that at the age of 4 he began to speak his first words and at the age of 7 he began to communicate with people, but his later inventions brought about a whole world change. incredible.
So with the idea that children who are slow to speak are less intelligent is wrong, it is also completely reasonable. However, it should be understood that genius autistic children still have all the signs of autistic children, that is, there are still abnormalities in behavior, cognition, and language. Children only develop prominently in strong skills, but in other normal cognitions are still extremely limited.
Above all, the natural abilities of children with autism, if not properly developed, cannot shine and use all their inherent resources. Some children with autism are geniuses but do not receive treatment, leading to severe deficiencies in other skills, increasingly isolated themselves, unable to socialize, and unable to apply their abilities. engage in useful things.
What should parents do when their child has a speech delay?
Children who are slow to speak must be less intelligent to get the correct answer depends on many cases, the cause cannot be immediately confirmed. A person’s intelligence depends on many factors, such as genetics, environmental factors, brain, nutrition, nurturing conditions.. But obviously intelligence also needs to be cultivated. supplement and practice daily.
A person who has natural intelligence, develops normally, but if he does not know how to use it, does not cultivate it daily, it can completely disappear. On the other hand, children who are slow to speak may be judged as less intelligent, but if they are properly trained and practiced regularly, they can still be improved somewhat.
In addition to the fact that with special groups of children, the goal of intervention is often not for children to develop intelligence but for children to improve their deficits such as communication skills, behavior, awareness enhancement. so that children can at least take care of themselves or integrate into the social environment. Answering whether a child with a speech delay is less intelligent is to have this appropriate intervention.
So what do parents need to do to support children with speech delays to develop intelligence?
- Take your child to see a doctor to find out the exact cause of the child’s speech delay. Children with speech delay, if related to factors such as autism or mental retardation, need to be properly treated as soon as possible to supplement the missing skills and enhance the correct cognitive development.
- Language supplementary intervention is an important core issue to implement with children with speech delay because only when children can communicate, can listen – understand what others want to say, can they increase their awareness as well as their understanding. Show your intelligence
- Special education for children who are especially slow to speak is also one of the essential things to develop intelligence for children. Because with these subjects, the acquisition of normal education will be very difficult and time-consuming, if teachers do not have expertise, it will be difficult to approach and educate children. Therefore, if children are slow to speak due to autism or mental retardation, they should attend special education to participate in appropriate education and develop best according to their child’s capacity.
- Recognize and promote your child’s strengths, such as art and music, to make up for his shortcomings. Children when participating in activities that they love often feel excited, happy, and want to learn more
- Increasing motor activities also helps in the development of intelligence for children with speech delay that parents should pay attention to.
- Education for children with speech delay needs to have a suitable schedule, suitable for each child’s stage, long-term persistence because it is not possible to be effective every day or two.
- Persistence, gentleness, use of appropriate words combined with visual and vivid images to effectively educate children with speech delay.
Above are some shares to help answer the question of whether children with speech delay are less intelligent, hopefully have brought you a lot of useful information. Not all cases of children with speech delay affect their intelligence, but the longer this situation lasts, it may adversely affect the cognitive development of the child, so caution should be taken.
