Sucking your finger, pacifier or nipple (bottle) may be habits that could cause language disorders of minors if they lengthen in time. This conclusion is reached in a study conducted in Chile and published by the medical journal "BMC Pediatrics".
The hypothesis of the group of scientists in charge of the project was that the children, when sucking their finger, the pacifier or the bottle, do not exercise all muscles properly of the oral cavity, and as only some develop, it is not enough to form the musculature necessary for speech ability.
The investigation took into account the data of a group of 128 children between 3 and 5 years old, inquired into the reasons why children at that age still do not fully develop their speech ability, causing them to even pronounce some phonemes badly. It was found that children who had a more persistent habit of sucking pacifier, nipple or finger showed a higher risk of developing speech disorders in preschool age.
The disorders are not serious, since these are difficulties to pronounce certain word sounds or to simplify their pronunciation, issues that over time, through practice and abandonment of habits, can be overcome.
The doctor in charge of this study in Chile, Juan Carlos Vélez, has recommended that mothers try to lengthen the breastfeeding period, since other studies on this stage have shown that this helps to exercise facial and tongue muscles better, achieving a better ability to speak.
The study was carried out by the Corporation of Rehabilitation Club of Lions Cruz del Sur in Punta Arenas (Chile) in collaboration with researchers from the School of Public Health of the University of Washington (USA).
For parents who, like me, have children who suck their fingers or love the pacifier, I would send a reassuring message. Only in extreme cases of continued suction and lengthening over time of these habits could those speech delays and difficulties due to the use of a pacifier, nipple or finger sucking.
