Ruthlyn James | Chasing the child’s first word

There is a new gold rush in Jamaica, a new frontier for parents where no matter the cost, it is a sacrifice many will make. It has contributed to domestic and international migration. Desperate decisions are being made, with many seeking a remedy. The treasure is “a voice”. Each week, the question grows: “When will my child talk?”

Speech begins long before language reaches the mouth. Communication develops through regulation. Before sentences, there is connection, imitation, shared enjoyment, turn-taking, listening, movement, rhythm, play and emotional understanding. Before “Mama”, they first learn that another human is worth observing.

The challenge is a lack of trained, licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs). We simply do not have enough. I often tip my hat to SLP Melanie Chin, who diligently helps our centre. Children presenting with neurodevelopmental disorders continue to rise, and demand has outpaced workforce capacity. The reality has forced us to admit that this is an addition to our healthcare crisis, which already underserves adult patients requiring therapy because of stroke or brain injury.

Referrals are becoming routine, adding to waiting lists that stretch for years, but what do we do while we wait? Hope cannot depend solely on training more speech-language pathologists, important as that is. Even if Jamaica doubled the number of graduates tomorrow, it would take years before families feel the impact. Children developing today cannot pause their childhood while the workforce catches up. We need long-term workforce expansion and immediate community-based solutions operating side by side.

LEARNING FROM INNOVATION

This is not Jamaica’s only workforce challenge. Over the past several years, our team has been developing and piloting a neurodevelopmental adaptive physical education model for children with autism and ADHD. Working alongside an occupational therapist, we have witnessed how movement, sensory regulation, motor planning and structured physical activity have strengthened participation, attention, functional learning and communication.

Traditional adaptive PE has long supported students with physical disabilities. Our work has focused on adapting principles from Occupational Therapy and Physical Education for children whose greatest barriers are psychosocial rather than physical. The progress we have observed has reinforced an important lesson: innovation does not replace specialists. It extends their reach.

Imagine if Jamaica developed accredited para-professional training for music teachers, working under the guidance of speech-language pathologists. Not to diagnose, not to replace, but to reinforce communication goals established by qualified professionals through structured singing, rhythm, breath control, imitation, vocal play and listening activities.

Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, I invite you to the table of “tun wi han and mek fashion”. You offer gold-standard music programmes that could be strategically leveraged to support speech and language development through voice, rhythm, articulation, expressive communication and structure.

Music is a carrier of words. We always scold our children by saying “you can learn the song but yuh caah learn yuh lesson”. Rhythm supports timing. Melody aids memory. Songs encourage imitation. Music naturally fosters opportunities for shared attention and reciprocal interaction, both of which are among the very foundations of speech development. These approaches are not alternatives to speech therapy; they are bridges and preventive techniques to limit delays.

DOING SOMETHING WHILE WE WAIT

One of the greatest dangers is believing that waiting must also mean doing nothing. While we train and invite interest in these career paths, we also need to be grounded in science and improve the quality of our national data so that health and education planning keep pace with children’s needs.

The consistent discussion about increasing the birth rate has yet to address the fact that many parents with children with special needs struggle to care for one. They are scared to have a second child. As more children and adults are identified with neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions, the need for multidisciplinary professionals, including speech-language pathologists, will continue to grow. Calling for more births must therefore be matched with resourced health and specialised educational services. It is no longer just vibing and having a baby.

COUNTRY VS TOWN

According to the published register of allied health professionals, Kingston and St Andrew accounted for 12 locally registered speech therapists, while six parishes had none: Clarendon, St James, Westmoreland, Hanover, Portland and Trelawny. Families were therefore expected to travel, wait, or simply do without. The issue is no longer only one of workforce numbers. It is one of geography, equity and opportunity.

Technology can also bridge the communication gap through assistive aids. The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities must expand its funding for augmentative and alternative communication devices and support to address school communication barriers, including the provision of Boardmaker materials, a valuable tool for creating visual communication and learning materials. They should also provide sign language training for educators and support staff in line with Quality Education Circle demand. Are we becoming excited by performative inclusion? Whitewashing inclusion is dangerous and robs the child of developmental opportunities and potential.

History reminds us that every gold rush creates two groups of people: those who strike gold and prosper, and those who sacrifice everything only to be left with empty hands. The search for a child’s first word must not become that kind of gold rush. It should never depend on a family’s income, the parish in which they live, their ability to migrate, or their endurance on long waiting lists. As a nation, we owe it to ourselves to be thinkers larger than the limitations of our lack.

Ruthlyn James is the founding director of Adonijah Group of Schools Therapy and Assessment Centre. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.