Staying at home due to COVID-19, children's lack of communication can affect language development

According to experts, young children, especially children of learning age, have to stay home from school due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. They communicate less and may watch TV and use phones more, which can easily affect language development and even delay speech.

Psychologist Vu Thi Kim Theu, working at a child psychology research center in Hanoi, said: Recently, the center has received about 70 cases for examination and telephone consultation on mental health disorders; of which 90% of these children show signs of delayed speech. Many parents calling the counseling center have children with delayed speech falling between the average age of 15 months and 32 months.

Accordingly, there are many causes of children being slow to speak, including the frequent use of electronic devices that can be related to the risk of slow speech and poor communication in children. These devices can make children less naughty, they are one-way interactive models, do not respond appropriately to children's behavior, causing children to not interact in return. In particular, letting children use electronic devices too much will make them not have the need to interact with others. Children may become withdrawn, afraid to speak, afraid to interact, leading to slow language development.

According to Dr. Tran Thu Thuy, National Children's Hospital, speech is a means of verbal communication, expressed through sound. The three main components of speech are pronunciation, voice and fluency. Speech disorders appear when children pronounce words but others do not understand, for example, children with stuttering or lisping. Language is a means of expressing and receiving information through words or gestures (sign language, body language). Language is a measure of intelligence, so language development disorders are more serious than speech disorders. Language delay is when a child's language develops in the correct order, but at a slower rate.

Accordingly, parents should take their child to see a specialist if they have doubts about their child's language development; especially if they see that their child has lost previously learned skills; the child does not respond to sounds or does not make sounds, which requires special attention. Language abnormalities detected early and treated promptly will help improve the child's communication ability, bringing better opportunities for the child.

According to experts, the stage of detecting children with speech delay is when they are 2-3 years old. During this stage, parents need to pay attention to their children to detect any unusual signs. Even from 4-6 months, parents need to closely monitor their children's language development because at this time, children begin to "e, a", and some children at this stage can even say words like "grandma, mom...". However, this is phonetics, not language, meaning that the child speaks but cannot speak back according to the request of others. If the child has not reached the language development milestones, parents need to accompany the child to help them catch up with their friends soon.

If the child has a mild language delay, parents should consult a specialist to find an appropriate way to interact with the child at home. In cases where the child has a severe speech delay, active language intervention is needed as soon as possible.

Accordingly, parents can apply methods to support children with speech delay at home such as:

Gradually limit children's exposure to electronic devices. For children who watch too much, it is necessary to gradually reduce the time they spend on electronic devices; do not completely cut off that exposure or cut it off immediately because it can easily lead to psychological shock in children. Parents need to reduce it step by step: reduce the amount of time children spend watching TV and using phones; control the content of the viewing, and always have an adult present.

Parents and families need to increase interaction with children. Interaction with children needs to be consistent in time and place, without overlapping. For example, dividing each time into certain time frames, what the father does, what the mother does with the child... This must be done correctly, sufficiently and regularly, not just when feeling inspired, then the effect is not really clear. Parents should take notes and see when the child actively interacts, then move on to new content.

In particular, parents need to change bad living habits such as: letting children eat and sleep at irregular times, having little contact with the outside environment, not daring to let children exercise in large environments...

In addition, parents need to pay attention to their children's nutrition. Parents should not feed their children a lot of processed foods, their children's meals must ensure a balance of nutrients to help the brain develop. Speech and language also reflect the development and interaction between the brain and target organs.

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper