Parents everywhere want the best for their children. Above all, they want to know that their kids are "OK," that they're developing on schedule physically and mentally. That their bodies, minds and speech are all developing on schedule.
Parents in Kenya are no different. Inability to communicate through speech is one huge concern for most parents there. If their child could just speak, everything else would fall into place. Serious educational challenges, severe behavior problems -- these are not things they ask anyone for help with. But speaking? Now that is a problem! And of course the "solution" is to find an "expert" who will "fix" the problem.
In the week I spent in Mumias we saw numerous children whose primary parental complaint was "he (she) doesn't speak." Even parents of toddlers had such concerns. We saw two adorable little boys - one 14 months old, the other 17 months old - whose mothers were worried because they were not yet speaking. Both boys showed normal development in non-speech areas - locomotion, fine motor skills, attention, turn-taking, appropriate manipulation and play with toys - and both vocalized an assortment of sounds. Rachael assured both mothers their sons were functioning within normal limits, and showing all of the precursors to the development of speech. We gave each mother strategies for creating a language-rich environment during play and daily activities.
Other cases in point:
- 6 year old Delores - hyperactive, distractible, screams when she can't have what she wants or when someone attempts to take something away. Her mother accepted her behavior with a shrug, but wanted to know why she didn't talk.
- 10 year old Alfred - mild hearing loss, enrolled in a primary class (5-6 year olds) this year but lagging far behind the younger children, follows instructions when accompanied by gestures, can't group items by categories. Here again, his father was happy he was in school, but wanted him to "talk more."
Other cases in point:
- 6 year old Delores - hyperactive, distractible, screams when she can't have what she wants or when someone attempts to take something away. Her mother accepted her behavior with a shrug, but wanted to know why she didn't talk.
- 10 year old Alfred - mild hearing loss, enrolled in a primary class (5-6 year olds) this year but lagging far behind the younger children, follows instructions when accompanied by gestures, can't group items by categories. Here again, his father was happy he was in school, but wanted him to "talk more."
No comments:
Post a Comment