Children under the age of two should not use electronic devices, as it could delay language development, doctors said.
“My two-year-old can understand everything, but when they want something, they can only point,” one mother said when describing her child.
These “late talkers” can understand and interact as well as other children their age, but do not begin speaking until later, New Taipei City Tucheng Hospital physiatrist Liu Kuo-cheng (劉國正) said on Wednesday.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Tucheng Hospital
Last year, the majority of the 26,392 children treated for developmental issues were treated for language development, Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed.
Causes might be genetic or environmental, Liu said.
Overuse of electronic devices in the past few years has been a major contributing factor, affecting linguistic expression and logical reasoning, and reducing incentives for children to exercise their minds, he said.
A child’s primary caregiver plays an important role in their development, as the first environment they encounter is the home, language therapist Huang Kuan-ting (黃冠婷) said.
Parents can help develop their child’s language and cognitive skills by helping them explore their environment, Huang said.
She recommended narrating ordinary tasks to demonstrate language usage or encourage imitation, such as telling the child “Dad wants to drink water, Dad is drinking water” when getting a drink.
Similarly, a parent can narrate a child’s play by saying for example: “Baby is playing with a car, a yellow car,” Huang said.
Parents can also create opportunities for the child to speak by placing a desired toy or object out of reach and pretending not to notice their nonverbal requests, she said.
This way, the child would ask for the object of their own volition and become accustomed to using their voice to express their desires, she said.
The “golden window” for treatment lasts until age six, Liu said.
Early intervention usually leads to better results if an issue arises, he added, urging parents to consult with a doctor before the window closes.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS