UM Surabaya Lecturer: Parents Do This So Children Are Not Slow to Speak

30 May
2023

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UM Surabaya Lecturer: Parents Do This So Children Are Not Slow to Speak

Late speech or speech delay can occur in children caused by several factors ranging from internal factors to external factors. Internal factors related to gender, heredity or genetics, and the child's physique in the form of neurogical malfunctions. Meanwhile, external factors are more related to birth spacing, socioeconomic status, education level and stimulation by parents/caregivers.

Sri Lestari, a lecturer at the UM Surabaya Teaching and Education Faculty (FKIP), said that to evaluate children with speech disorders, parents should not make their own diagnosis and need to consult an expert. However, oddities or red flags in language development from infancy, for example, not responding when called at 6 months old can be an initial screening for parents.

"Especially if you look at the data in Indonesia released by the Ministry of Health in 2015, the rate of speech delay in children in Indonesia is high at 68%. Of course it is important for parents to monitor their child's developmental delays because even the slightest negligence can have an impact on affective, cognitive and social skills in the future," said Tari Tuesday (30/5/23)

According to him, in the context of external factors, stimulation from parents or caregivers plays a very important role. Various things need to be done by parents to prevent speech delays in children.

First, pay attention and invite children to communicate in two directions. Two-way communication is important for parents when their children are babies, even when they are still in the womb. Doing two-way communication means that parents always respond to bubling or babbling by looking into their eyes and words.

“That way babies/children feel cared for. Several studies have shown that the attention that parents pay to their children when communicating with them is actually a factor that significantly influences their development," said Tari again.

Second, avoid responding to children with slurred language. Responding to children with slurred language to make them look funny can result in children's phonological disorders in the future. Although phonological disorders can occur due to physical influences, it is possible due to parental interaction factors.

“Often parents communicate to their children by eliminating sounds or changing sounds. For example, "sister wants to have a grandchild" [s] is replaced by [c] or "let's play main game with dad" by removing the sound, for example [r]," he explained.

Third, give screen time. Gadgets and the like in the form of spectacles if given excessively can interfere with children's development and at a severe level can affect cognitive and social skills. However, ironically, YouTube is often used to silence children, not for education. "Educating children through watching means accompanying children while watching, inviting them to sing and communicate while watching but still with appropriate screen time," he said.

Fourth, read books and play with children. Book reading activities can not only improve children's language development but can also increase children's creative and imaginative powers. Another creative way to stimulate children can also be done by providing toys. Children can play alone or with parents. Not only related to language development, playing together can also strengthen the emotional connection between parents and children.

Fifth, pay attention to the birth distance. One of the external factors that can influence children's language development is birth distance. The closer the distance between births, the potential for parental attention to children will decrease and this can also affect children's language development.

"Experts found that children with a birth spacing of less than four years have a higher potential for speech delays than children whose birth spacing is regulated," said Tari.

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