Is your child just a late talker or do they have a speech delay or disorder? As a parent, how do you know if your child is meeting their developmental milestones? If you are concerned about your child’s speech or language development, it is best to consult a speech therapist.
“Parents should take children for a speech evaluation any time they’re concerned,” says Diane Paul, PhD, Director of Clinical Issues in Speech-Language Pathology at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Keep an out for these speech milestones
12 Months
At 12 months old a child should be copying sound and noises you make. They should be babbling, making gestures, pointing to objects, respond to their name, acknowledge familiar people, and recognize greetings.
18 Months
At 18 months a child should be saying more words and be easier for family and friends to understand. They should also be able to point to objects in a book, familiar objects, and understand simple instructions.
2 Years Old
Should be able to say 50 words and use them in two work phrases, such as “more apples” or “bye daddy”. Along with asking and responding to questions, “What’s that?” And “Where’s kitty?
3 Years Old
At 3 years old they should be using sentences with 3 – 4 words. Talk about things that happened in the past or in a different room. Understand opposites, up-down, and big-little. Follow 2 part directions, like “Get the cup and put it on the table.”
4 Years Old
At 4 years old they should be able to describe events in longer sentences. Ask questions, understand some words for shapes and colors, like, square and circle, blue and red.
5 Years Old
At 5 years old a child should start constructing full sentences, use most of their speech sounds correctly, understand time related words, like first, next and last. Follow 3 part instruction, “brush your teeth” and “pick out a book”.
When it comes to a the development of a child’s speech and language, experts don’t recommend the “wait and see” approach.
“What we know is that the sooner the issues are addressed by a professional, the better chance the child has of getting on that normal developmental progression,” said Elise Davis-McFarland, president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child, we encourage you to contact Orlando’s First Words Therapy. We take a holistic approach to speech-language-therapy to help your child communicate more effectively.
