What is the cause of a speech or language delay?
This is one of the first questions a parent will ask about their child. It is also one of the most difficult to answer. Delays in speech and language skills can be associated with genetic, physical and environmental factors, but for most children, an obvious cause is hard to pinpoint. Pre-and perinatal factors such as alcohol consumption during pregnancy, low birth weight and anoxia (lack of oxygen at birth) can be implicated. We also know that special populations have a higher prevalence of communication disorders, e.g. children with autism, genetic syndromes, physical problems like cerebral palsy and cleft palate, developmental delays and hearing loss. Certain communication disorders, like stuttering, severe speech disorders (i.e. phonological, apraxic) and language based learning disabilities, appear to have a genetic link. Most of the children that we see at our Centre have unremarkable birth, medical and developmental histories which makes early diagnosis and treatment of their co
