Is My Child’s Speech Delay a Problem, and Can It Be Addressed?

Few moments are more special for parents than hearing their child’s first words. It’s right up there with taking those first wobbly steps and eating solid food for the first time. Ah … such memorable moments, for sure. But what if your child struggles in this area? What if your child experiences speech delays, and talking doesn’t come as easily as you expected?

After all, you’ve heard most children develop language skills between 1 and 2 years old—gradually progressing from simple words to short phrases and full sentences. From there, their vocabulary grows rapidly, and their speech becomes clearer with time. Sadly, some children take longer, and you suddenly realize yours is one of them.

“Is this just a normal delay?” 

“Will they simply catch up on their own?”

“Why is this happening to my child?”

“When should we intervene, and can anything be done about it?” 

We understand your concern, and asking those questions are the right place to start. But you certainly aren’t alone. Understanding what’s typical, what may signal a concern, and what may be the root cause of speech delays is the first step. From there, knowing when to seek professional support can make all the difference in helping your child find their voice.

Speech Delays Are More Common Than You Might Think

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (and several experts with more extensive knowledge than we possess), nearly 1 in 12 children between the ages of 3 and 17 in the United States have experienced a voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorder in the past year. With speech delays, specifically, their language and communication skills develop more slowly than what is typically expected for their age. These struggles can include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Slow to start speaking by around 18 months

• Struggling to string words together in phrases or sentences

• Words and sounds are jumbled and may not be easily understood

• Reliance on fewer words than other kids their age

• Giving up easily or getting upset when trying to express themselves

• Over-reliance on non-verbal communication, such as gestures

These speech delays, as well as situations where there are clear signs of speech regression, are clues that an underlying neurological issue is likely present and requires further investigation and intervention. Speech therapy and at-home language exercises are excellent examples of interventions that should be implemented early and often during a child’s developmental years. We encourage you to take these steps if your child is experiencing speech delays. 

That said, when therapy isn’t enough, neurologically-based chiropractic can make a very impactful difference.

Truly Addressing the Root Cause of Speech Delays

Many may not realize, speech delays often indicate stress or interference within the brain and nervous system. Factors such as subluxation, vagus nerve dysfunction, and nervous system dysregulation can significantly impact a child’s speech development.

We get it—a visit to your chiropractor for help with speech delays likely wasn’t on your bingo card. But what if neurologically-based chiropractic care could address the root cause of your child’s problems—thus giving them the magic key to unlocking their voice?

Neurologically based chiropractic care is a gentle, non-invasive approach to chiropractic care that addresses the underlying neurological factors contributing to various physical, mental, and emotional issues children experience every day. You see, your child’s nervous system is their body’s command center. Like yours, it controls and coordinates their movements, thoughts, and automatic responses to the world around them—things like breathing, blinking, coordination, sleep, and heartbeat, among others. 

This complex system instructs every other system in the body on what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. But the nervous system isn’t immune to issues of its own—including imbalances. These can be caused by factors such as diseases, accidents, toxins, aging, and, surprisingly, spinal misalignments. But for children, it can also include chaotic events such as:

• Birth interventions (C-sections, forceps, etc.)

• Maternal stress

• Developmental trauma (stress, abuse, or neglect early in life)

Combined, these can create neurological dysfunctions beneath the surface. Therapy can very well help in ways, but if there is nervous system dysfunction, we want to be sure that is addressed. With the gentle corrections we provide in our office during their developmental years, we help kid’s nervous systems function at their best so that they can overcome various challenges, including speech delays.

Call Compassion Family Chiropractic Today!!

At Compassion Family Chiropractic in Lewisville, TX, our goal is for you and your family to feel like a part of ours. On your first visit, you will be greeted by warm smiles and a whole team that is happy and willing to serve you. We aim to provide you with the most thorough and effective chiropractic care available while treating you with unparalleled service all along the way.

We look forward to the opportunity to become your family’s home for chiropractic care in Lewisville!

Call us today at (469) 240-2322. To learn more about Dr. David Ravdin, click here.