Rising concerns over early speech delays linked to family activities and screen time

Clinical speech therapist Blanka Gruberová highlights how modern family routines, increased screen exposure, and reduced physical activity are contributing to a surge in speech and language difficulties among children, urging early intervention and improved play habits.

Children’s speech is becoming a growing concern for specialists, and the reasons go well beyond smartphones and tablets. Clinical speech therapist Blanka Gruberová told iDNES.cz that what used to be seen as simple pronunciation problems are now often part of broader language and developmental difficulties, including autistic spectrum disorders. Better diagnosis explains some of the rise, but she said changes in everyday family life are also playing a major part.

Gruberová argued that language develops through conversation, not through background noise from a screen. Research cited in recent reviews supports that view: increased screen exposure is linked with weaker language development, especially when children spend long periods passively watching rather than interacting with adults. Studies in PubMed and Frontiers in Psychology also point to the importance of parent-child dialogue and the harm caused when screens displace reading, play and shared attention.

She also drew attention to an area many parents would not expect: movement. In her view, children who rarely jump, climb, balance or cycle may struggle with the coordination needed for speech. That is why therapists sometimes recommend simple activities such as skipping, playing ball or working with modelling clay. These tasks build fine motor skills, body coordination and imagination, all of which support language development.

Gruberová said parents should seek help early if a one-year-old does not respond to speech, does not use gestures or does not share attention with an adult. By the age of two, she said, children should already be combining first words. She stressed that it is better to ask a paediatrician too soon than too late. The doctor can decide whether a referral to a qualified clinical speech therapist is needed.

She also warned against the growing number of unqualified people offering speech therapy services online or in nurseries. In her account, a clinical speech therapist should have university training in special education, an accredited healthcare course and years of specialist preparation before certification. Gruberová advised parents to check providers in the national register of healthcare services and to remember that schools should identify potential problems, not try to treat them. For everyday prevention, she said, the most useful tools are still the simplest: talking, reading, singing, modelling and spending time outdoors.