What if you suspect your child is not catching up
This scenario is common among parents of children who are slow to speak. Unless they observe other areas of “slowness” in the early development of their child, parents may hesitate to seek advice. Some parents may excuse the lack of talking by reassuring themselves that “he’ll outgrow it” or “she’s just more interested in physical things.”
Knowing what’s “normal” and what’s not in speech and language development can help you figure out if you should be concerned or if your child is right on schedule.
From 18 to 24 months
Children should have a vocabulary of about 20 words by 18 months and 50 or more partial words by the time they turn 2. By age 2, kids should be learning to combine two words, such as “baby crying” or “Daddy big.” A 2-year-old should also be able to follow two-step commands (such as “Please pick up the toy and bring me your cup”).
From 2 to 3 years
Parents often witness an “explosion” in their child’s speech. Your child’s vocabulary should increase (to too many words to count) and he or she should routinely combine three or more words into sentences. Your child’s comprehension should also increase – by 3 years of age, he or she should begin to understand what it means to “put it on the table” or “put it under the bed.” Your child should also begin to identify colors and comprehend descriptive concepts (big versus little, for example)
What Causes Delayed Speech or Language?
There are many reasons for delays in speech and language development. Speech delays in an otherwise normally developing child are rarely caused by oral impairments, such as problems with the tongue or palate (the roof of the mouth). Being “tongue-tied” (when the frenulum – the fold beneath the tongue – is too tight) is almost never a cause of delayed speech.
A number of children with speech delays have oral-motor problems, meaning there’s inefficient communication in the areas of the brain responsible for speech production. The child encounters difficulty using the lips, tongue, and jaw to produce speech sounds. Speech may be the only problem or may be accompanied by other oral-motor problems such as feeding difficulties. A speech delay may also indicate a more “global” (or general) developmental delay.
Hearing problems are also commonly related to delayed speech, which is why a child’s hearing should be tested by an audiologist whenever there’s a speech concern. If a child has trouble hearing, he or she may have trouble understanding, imitating, and using language.
Ear infections, especially chronic infections, can affect hearing ability. Simple ear infections that have been adequately treated, though, should have no effect on speech. But it’s important to note that current recommendations suggest that, in certain situations and depending on the child’s age, ear infections can be observed without immediate treatment because most will resolve without treatment. (source)
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