With parenting comes a lot of questions. Is my child okay, are they meeting their developmental milestones, what about their communication, speech and language skills?
While you don’t expect your child to clearly speak the first couple of years of life, it is a very crucial time for development. In fact, it is the most intensive time for your child to acquire language and speech skills. It is important for a child to meet their milestones in a timely manner. If not, it can make it more difficult for your child to properly learn to communicate in the future.
The earlier a speech or language disorder is diagnosed, the sooner you can get your child reaching those milestones and normal communication.
It isn’t easy to know if your child has a speech issue, here are a few questions to ask yourself.
How does your child’s communication skills affect their day to day life?
Think about how the communication milestones play a part in your child’s life with regular activities and relationships with family and friends. This could be listening, speaking, and non-verbal communication.
For example, how does your child interact in conversations, do they actively engage and participate? Do they follow simple instructions that are age appropriate, such as put the cup in the sink, make your bed, or brush your teeth?
When it comes to your child’s communication skills, how do they affect their social life?
Consider when your child is participating in activities with peers, interacting with friends, or have dealings with the general community. These interactions are an indication of how they are developing in their communication skills.
Look for appropriate verbal communication when your child interact with their peers. Do they express their opinion or ask any questions? Do they exhibit appropriate attention level when participating with friends? Or do they wander off by themselves?
