Symptom 5: Difficulty Imitating Speech – The Complex Dance of Words and Sounds
Imitation is a fundamental stepping-stone in a child’s language development journey. Mimicking sounds, words, and sentences helps them understand and master the nuances of speech. However, for children with DVD, imitating speech can be a stumbling block, marking it as a significant symptom of the condition.
Imagine trying to replicate a complex dance routine after watching it just once. The intricate coordination, precise timing, and specific movements – it’s overwhelming, right? For a child with DVD, imitating speech can feel somewhat similar. They know what they need to do – they can hear and understand the words – but making their muscles perform the ‘dance’ of speech is a struggle.
This difficulty can manifest itself in several ways. Maybe they can say a word spontaneously but falter when asked to repeat it. Or they struggle more with longer words and sentences compared to shorter ones. An attempt to say “hippopotamus” might come out as “hip…pop…amus,” with noticeable efforts and errors.
Interestingly, their imitation struggles often contrast with their ability to perform non-speech oral motor tasks. They might be able to stick out their tongue or puff out their cheeks on command, but struggle to coordinate the same movements for speech. This discrepancy underscores the unique challenges posed by DVD.(5)
