It’s normal for parents to worry if their child’s development is on track. Are they meeting all the milestones? Are they progressing at the same rate as other children around them?
For most parents talking and communicating is their biggest concern, it is a core aspect of a child’s development. Some children develop earlier than others and some later, different rates of progress are perfectly normal. Milestones have been put into place so you know what to expect and when. Keep in mind these are just guidelines, learning speech and language takes time.
Up to nine months
They will start to understand the name of people and items. Such as, dada, mama, the name of their sibling, pet, and favorite toy. At this age, children are just experimenting with sounds. While they may identify their own name or that of a family member, they may not grasp the actual concept.
Nine to twelve months
It is normal for children not to say words in their first year. Your child may not be able to replicate sounds, they can understand basic everyday sayings, goodbye, hello, outside, and other phrases.
Twelve to twenty four months
This is when babies usually say their first words and come to understand their words attribute to objects, people and actions. Typically, they speak about what is right in front of them. As you show a child something, encourage them to learn what it is by repeating its name. While they won’t always succeed, this is the time your toddler will be forming sounds and using gestures.
After 18 months, a child should start identify object not immediately in front of them, understand more words and complex phrases, though they may not come up with sentences by themselves.
Children don’t develop at the same rate, but if your child seems to be slightly behind, instead of worrying, contact First Words Speech Therapy.
