Why Do Children Stop Talking? | Speech Therapist on Language Regression

Why Do Children Stop Talking? | Speech Therapist on Language Regression

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The most common inquiry we get is that the child used to use words to describe and call “mama” then suddenly, the child stops talking and starts pulling your hand to get whatever s/he wants.

Sometimes it feels like your child is losing words and “forgetting” what they’ve learned already.

Why? There are actually 3 reasons.

Language Facilitating / Language Rich Environment
Reaction to spoken words can be exaggerated especially when your child only speaks a few times a day. We make the mistake of screaming and clapping our hands when we hear those precious words… However, that is not language facilitating. The child was experimenting with language and would be taken aback by the huge reaction. You should have exaggerated reactions when the child imitates your words but certainly not when your child says a word by him/herself. What you should do instead is to calmly praise and say the word one more time for the child whilst pointing out the real-world reference to the word.

Screen time is also an issue, as it doesn’t provide a language-rich environment at home. It’s one-way communication. Whilst it does teach the child one-way communication, it doesn’t teach him/her how to use it in real life. That’s why all therapists out there suggest you play with your child and have “quality time” with each other. If you take a look at our channel, you can see videos of how to play with toys with children.

The Link Between Words, Meaning, and Function is Blurry
For children who are language delayed or disordered. Picking up language can be quite a difficult task. So when they speak words, those might not be really referencing something in the world. We don’t know whether the child actually understands the meaning of the word or not. In some cases, we call these “proto-words” which means, it’s a prototype of the word they’re learning. The meaning is blurry and they’re saying it just because something reminds them of the sound.

Sometimes it could just be delayed echolalia. When a child ‘forgets’ a word, most of the time it’s because s/he does not know when else to use the word and it is only used when specific conditions are aligned. This means the use of words is limited and the child hasn’t truly mastered the word meaning yet. Because there aren’t enough chances to use the words, the child’s language development stagnates.

Autism Spectrum Disorder?
We know that children who are on the spectrum have slightly different development in brain structures. Up till now, there is research indicating that these changes biologically happen around 2-3 years of age. Coincidentally, the symptoms of ASD also surface at around 2-3 years old as well. So when this happens, children might experience a regression developmentally in all aspects. This is when parents report that the child has ‘regressed’ when it was actually that the child’s language development has halted and specific behaviors start to arise. This looks like regression because the child doesn’t do what s/he used to do. 

Children on the spectrum have a hard time acquiring language. Most of the time they are preoccupied with something else. No matter if it’s a sensory or behavioral issue, it takes take from the child actually learning to socialize and play with others. That’s why there is a regression. The first step to tackle this is always to find out the child’s interests and start teaching him/her how to play with toys!