Eating boiled eggs during pregnancy is not the reason behind speech delay among children, an expert has clarified.
Speech delay in children is becoming a common phenomenon, and parents are getting worried. In a bid to try and diagnose the problem and find the solution, a section of women have alleged that eating boiled eggs during pregnancy is a major contributor to the delays.
Speaking during a discussion on Citizen TV about autism, its detection, and treatment, speech specialist and therapist Dr Peter Mucheru firmly dismissed this myth.
The therapist revisited a doctor's seminar he had engaged in with doctors in Nakuru, who told him that most women had alleged that eating large quantities of boiled eggs during pregnancy was a big contributor to speech delay, one of the symptoms in children with autism.
According to the therapist, this is a myth that delays early detection of autism amongst children.
"There are a lot of myths in society—for example, the belief that mothers who ate boiled eggs during pregnancy caused speech delays in their children or that boys naturally delay in growing while girls mature faster. These myths are misleading and are hampering early detection of conditions like autism," he stated.
While educating parents on how they can detect autism early in children, the therapist encouraged parents to demystify this myth and report any unusual delays they see in their children as early as possible.
The therapist explained that speech development in children is influenced by various neurological, genetic, and environmental factors rather than by specific foods consumed by the mother during pregnancy.
According to Dr Mucheru, there are four essential activities that children must engage in for healthy development: eating, playing, sleeping, and reading (learning something new daily).
He explained that development is most rapid between birth and age eight, after which it begins to gradually slow down, a period where parents must be vigilant and observant.
Dr Mucheru stressed that if a child is not actively engaging in these four activities, parents should be concerned and seek medical advice.
According to him, proper development is linked to routine behaviours that children exhibit during early childhood.
On autism, the therapist, alongside other specialists in the discussion, revealed that the spectrum had no cure, but with early detection, better management, and frequent therapy sessions, the spectrum can be managed.
