Timely intervention for children with language disorders

During the summer, the number of sick children increases because this is the period when many children enter kindergarten or pre-first grade, start reading Vietnamese and have difficulty learning due to slow speech. When teachers reflect and remind, parents worry and take their children to see a doctor and get intervention.

Intervention specialists from the Department of Physical Therapy - Rehabilitation - Traditional Medicine, Dong Nai Children's Hospital intervene 1-1 with children with language disorders. Photo: Hai Yen

There are children who enter first grade but still cannot speak.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Anh (residing in Long Binh ward, Dong Nai province) has a 5-year-old son who is about to enter first grade but has a lisp. Worried that his son will have difficulty learning, he took him to Dong Nai Children's Hospital for examination. Here, the child was diagnosed with a severe speech sound disorder. In addition, another problem that the child encountered but the family did not pay attention to was limited vocabulary. Therefore, the child had difficulty communicating, and was not logical when speaking or telling stories.

Without timely intervention, it will be difficult for the child to enter first grade this school year. The family is required to send the child to intervention 2-3 times/week, and the parents must teach the child at home. The child must be corrected in pronunciation, vocabulary, and communication language.

Doctor Vo Thi Hoai Thuong, in charge of the Department of Physical Therapy - Rehabilitation - Traditional Medicine, Dong Nai Children's Hospital, said: The department's clinic has received a number of cases of children entering first grade but still unable to speak.

“We have just examined 5 cases of 6-year-old children with RLNN, including children who could not say a single word or only said meaningless words. The family said that they discovered their child had a speech delay when he was 3 years old, but it was not until he went to preschool, when the teacher reminded him because he could not learn, that they took him to see a doctor,” said Dr. Thuong.

According to Dr. Thuong, the Department of Physical Therapy - Rehabilitation - Traditional Medicine regularly receives parents who come to request a certificate of RLNN treatment for their children because while their friends are learning to read, their children are still learning to speak and cannot keep up with the first grade program.

The above mentioned children with RLNN have passed the golden period for intervention. Intervention for children with RLNN in the late stage will be very difficult and time-consuming.

Don't let children miss the golden period

Many parents believe that it is normal for children to be slow to speak, especially if there is a relative in the family who was slow to speak but later developed well. However, not all cases can improve on their own. Therefore, if a child shows signs of slow speech that persist after the age of 3 without timely intervention, it can lead to difficulties in learning, social communication, and even affect the child's self-confidence later on.

Many parents are so busy with making ends meet that they do not have time to observe and pay attention to their child’s developmental milestones. There are cases where parents discover their child is slow to speak very early, but only when acquaintances or teachers report it do they take their child to the hospital for examination.

According to Dr. Vo Thi Hoai Thuong, when suspecting a child has RLNN, parents need to take the child to a pediatrician or rehabilitation specialist for assessment and appropriate intervention.

RLNN is a condition of impaired language processing that affects an individual's ability to receive and/or express language. About 7% of preschool children in Vietnam are at risk of RLNN. In families with relatives who are slow to speak, the rate of slow speech in children is 3 times higher than that of other normal children.
Doctor VO THI HOAI THUONG, in charge of Department of Physical Therapy - Rehabilitation - Traditional Medicine, Dong Nai Children's Hospital.

Depending on the cause and severity of the disorder, the doctor will prescribe an appropriate treatment plan such as: Speech therapy (the main method, including pronunciation exercises, strengthening the muscles of the tongue, lips, and palate; activities to stimulate the ability to understand and express language); medical intervention (if the cause is hearing loss, the child may need to wear a hearing aid or cochlear implant; if there is a congenital defect, surgery is needed); psychological therapy (for children with other accompanying disorders such as autism, hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit).

Children will also be required to intervene from their families and schools (parents and teachers create a positive communication environment, patiently practice with children according to expert instructions).

According to Dr. Thuong, the period from 0-3 years old is the "golden period" for children to develop language. If intervened at the right time and with the right method, children's ability to recover and develop language will be very good, helping them catch up with their friends and integrate into the community. If delayed, children may encounter more difficulties in learning, social communication, and even lead to psychological problems such as low self-esteem and anxiety.

“Whether or not children with RLNN can improve completely depends on the severity. With early intervention, many children can improve significantly, even achieving normal communication skills. However, in more severe cases, the intervention process will be longer and requires close coordination between the family, doctors and therapists,” said Dr. Thuong.

Hai Yen

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/y-te/202508/can-thiep-kip-thoi-cho-tre-bi-roi-loan-ngon-ngu-78b00c0/