Parenting is a challenging job from the time the baby arrives till long after the child leaves home! Watching a baby or toddler develop can be a particularly demanding time as parents strive to monitor the child’s development. Are they crawling and walking at the usual age? Are their speech skills improving at a normal rate? Every child has their own developmental timeline and it can be hard to know it’s time to bring a professional in to help. 

Some children simply take their time learning to express themselves in words and gestures. These kids will catch up on their own. But some other children are going to need help to overcome the reasons for a slowdown in their development. 

Finding the Right Cause of Slow Talking

In some cases, it’s possible to diagnose the cause of slow language development. Some diagnosable reasons for slow development include:

  • Hearing loss
  • Down syndrome or other genetic conditions
  • Apraxia of speech (difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed for speech)
  • Autism
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Dysarthria: (weak or uncoordinated speech muscles)
  • Intellectual disability
  • Tongue-tie

In other cases, a careful pediatric examination may find no underlying condition. Whether there is an underlying condition identified or not, a speech-language pathologist can help a child who is a late talker optimize their ability to understand and use language. 

Useful Developmental Milestones for Parents 

There are dozens of developmental milestones for children for every stage of growth between birth and a few years of age. To help parents evaluate their child’s growth, here are a few of the most common milestones for each age bracket. 

  • Six to nine months: Baby should begin babbling and listen to voices and sounds. They may recognize their name and use gestures to communicate. 
  • Ten to 12 months: Baby may use their first words, commonly “mama” or “dada” and may recognize the names of a few objects around the home.
  • 12 to 18 months: They may start to follow directions, shake or nod their head for “yes” and “no.” They may clap hands in response to music, identify body parts and start using more words. 
  • 18 to 24 months: A toddler typically adds to their vocabulary quickly and starts putting together two or more words into phrases. 
  • By 36 months: A child should start speaking in short sentences. They can follow instructions with two parts. They can identify body parts, clothes, toys and food. 
  • By 48 months: A four-year-old typically talks in three or four-word sentences. They understand longer sentences. They can talk about past events. 

What Should You Do if Your Child Isn’t Meeting Milestones?

A parent who has concerns about their child’s development should request an evaluation of the child’s current level of achievement. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a professional who can accurately evaluate a child’s progress and design the exact therapy that the child might need to open up their ability to communicate. 

Using her extensive training in speech therapy, an SLP can help a child master use of mouth, tongue and lips to form words, overcome barriers to interacting with others, or improve listening and understanding skills. Importantly, each child’s speech therapy should be exactly designed for that child’s exact needs. And it should be fun and engaging! The more interested and engaged a child is in their speech therapy, the easier it will be for them to advance their skills. 

Staff at Let’s Communicate Are Ready to Help

If you have any concerns about your child’s development, talk to us. We can provide you with an assessment of their development and help you understand what help they may need to catch up to developmental milestones. 

The earlier you detect any delays in their development, the better! Scheduling speech therapy early gets your child on a great track to interact well at home or in a nursery school or elementary school classroom. Call Let’s Communicate pediatric therapy services at (678) 963-0694 to schedule an evaluation today.