All children are different in their learning development, and speech is one of the key areas to watch. Some kids learn to communicate at a slower rate than others. While this can often be due to shyness, laziness, or simply lack of verbal prompts, it could also be due to a disability or health problem. When should you worry about language delay? This article offers a few signs to look out for and steps that you can take to determine whether it’s something to be concerned about.
Keep track of milestones
Kids will usually hit certain communication milestones at certain ages. By keeping track of these milestone averages, you can determine whether your child is developmentally right on track or behind in speech development.
A few communication milestone averages are included below:
- 6 months—Your baby should recognize their name and react to different tones of voice.
- 12 months—Your baby should recognize a few different words and may be able to follow simple instructions like “come here.”
- 18 months—Your baby will usually know a few basic words by this point and will babble in different tones to express emotions (even if they don’t use real words)
- 2 years—Your baby should now understand roughly 50 words. They should be able to speak a few basic words and may even be stringing words together like “all gone.”
- 3 years—Between 2 and 3 years old, kids often start speaking new words at an increasing rate. By 3 years old, many kids are able to name four or more body parts and are starting to string together basic sentences like “milk all gone.”
- 4 years – At this age, your child should be forming full sentences (although still getting some words wrong) and should be able to be understood by other family members and friends. They may know some colors, shapes, and animal names and should be asking questions.
If your child has not been meeting these milestones, there could be a problem. However, this may not necessarily be due to a disability…
Take steps to prompt communication with your child
Some kids simply need to be pushed in order to communicate more. A few measures you can take include:
- Pointing at objects and naming them repeatedly to encourage kids to repeat them
- Regularly speaking in front of your kid. If it is just you and them, don’t be afraid to talk to them about or narrate things you are doing.
- Read to your kids. This will help them to hear new words and learn how to read them.
- Ask your kids questions to get a response. Even with babies, you can say questioning words like “milk?” Encourage them to nod or say “yeah.”
- Have patience with kids when they are trying to speak. Don’t try to complete sentences for them. Children need to work a little on what they intend to say. This is particularly important for kids who are 4 or older and need to be encouraged to speak independently.
This guide at Raising Children suggests more tips for improving communication skills in kids as they get older.
Children often exhibit varying degrees of learning.
A child’s ease in responding to language can give you clues to their development. As a parent, you will be the best to notice if they are understanding words or sentences. When they say their first words and when they start to form sentences and chatter, even if it does not make sense at first.
You can help your child build their vocabulary by playing with them and naming things. A time in a swing can be fun to count the swings as they happen. Everything you do, all the sweet talk and one-sided conversations you have with your child, add up to their learning. They are like little sponges and soak up your words, facial expressions, and mannerisms.
Most children love to make eye contact. They will look at you
when you call their name and turn to look at things when you talk about them or point to pictures in a book.
If your child is not responding to sounds or vocalizing or is not using their hands to gesture, point, or wave bye-bye by 12 months, you should take note of this. If your 18-month-old child still prefers gestures rather than words, there may be an issue you need to investigate with a professional’s help.
- A short frenulum, which is often referred to as a tongue tie,
- Oral-motor problems
- Hearing problems
- Down syndrome or other genetic conditions
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Cerebral palsy
- Apraxia – Children who know what they want to say but have a motor problem preventing the ability to carry out speech.
Know when to look into other causes for delayed speech.
If kids still do not make efforts to communicate even with prompts, it could be time to explore other causes. There are all kinds of health problems and disabilities that can inhibit language learning, including hearing difficulties, apraxia, autism, vocal cord issues, ADHD, and cerebral palsy.
Seeing a doctor is the first step to diagnosis. You may be recommended to a behavioral therapist or for other hearing and medical tests that, one by one, may diagnose the problem.
There are ways of overcoming many of these developmental disorders. The likes of Accel Therapies – Autism ABA Therapists can help carry out therapy to improve communication caused by autism.
Hearing aids and auditory verbal therapy can meanwhile help kids who are partially or profoundly deaf to learn to understand words and speak.
As a parent, you need to exercise patience in finding the right answers.
Remember, language delays are often just a temporary hurdle. With a little extra support and patience, your child can overcome these challenges and catch up with their peers.
Here are some more things parents can do to help their children.
Remember, a child’s development starts the day you come home from the hospital. Your attentiveness and care go a long way!
Start sweet talking right away. When your child cries, speak sweet words like, “I know, I want to hear all about everything you have to say.” Sing songs and dance around the room while cuddling your child and singing. If you are unsure about how to do these things, invite a grandmother or granny-like person to visit.
Here are some activities you can do at home.
- Make everything playtime. In the kitchen, play with food, make cookies together, and in the bath, with the soap bubbles.
- Keep everything simple
- Read books to your child. Point to the pictures and read the words. Make funny voices.
- Teach your child about feelings. Teach them that it is okay to express emotions and that you can control them, too.
- Put things your child may want out of reach and make them ask for them rather than just pointing to them.
- Sing songs. Play children’s music and dance to the music. Have fun.
- Use Self-talk Speech Therapy, a technique that involves a parent or other adult caregiver describing their actions as they do things in the child’s presence. Tell the child their thoughts and feelings. Use child-friendly language or “sweet talk” as if you were telling a story about what you are doing. For example, you could say, “Here I am making the bed, here I am putting toys away, here I am hugging you today!”
It’s important not to jump to conclusions if your child doesn’t seem to be communicating at the same rate as everyone else their age. However, you should also make sure that you are taking action to encourage communication. If your efforts don’t seem to be working, then you should consider getting a medical opinion.
