Search Results for: blog causes of speech and language delays

Speech: Three to Four Years

At age three your child should have a vocabulary of 300-500 words. He’ll be speaking in complete sentences of five to six words. You’ll find that he uses voice inflection and imitates adult speech. Children at this age are often chatterboxes. But don’t discourage their use of speech they are practicing and learning. You’ll often hear your pet phrases coming out of their mouths or comments that you don’t want repeated. So it is important to watch what you say as a parent. A stranger should be able to understand most of what your child says. But up to half … Continue reading →

Speech: Two to Three Years

Between your child’s second and third birthday you will see a speech explosion as your child’s vocabulary grows from about 50 words to 400 words. She’ll start using sentences with more words. Instead of saying “More milk,” she’ll say, “I want more milk.” The use of pronouns will become common. He will start using language to express and communicate his desires, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. At this age your toddler should understand two-step commands. If you say, “Get your jacket and wait by the door,” he should be able to follow your instructions. It doesn’t mean that he sometimes won’t … Continue reading →

Speech: One to Two Years

Between the ages of one and two your child’s comprehension of language grows by leaps and bounds. You no longer have to wonder if he understands you because he will show you by his actions that he does. When you announce it’s time to go, you’ll find him getting his shoes or waiting by the door. If you ask if she wants a snack she’ll respond yes or no. During this time your child should start being able to follow simple commands such as “Give me your cup,” and answer questions like “Where is your nose?” Although your child may … Continue reading →

Causes of Speech and Language Delays

Speech and language delays can be caused by a number of things. This blog will describe the possible causes. Only evaluation by a professional can determine the actual cause of your child’s speech delay. Mental Retardation Children who have some type of mental retardation count for 50% of speech delay cases. According to the American Pediatric Association a child who is mentally retarded “demonstrates global language delay and also has delayed auditory comprehension and delayed use of gestures.” Which means that the child has been continually slower than average in speech development. The child also does not make use of … Continue reading →

Speech: Birth to 12 months

Babies begin by hearing other people make sounds. In the beginning the tone and pitch of the voice is most important. If your voice is calm and soothing your baby is comforted. It is important that you vary the pitch and tone of your voice so your child learns voice inflection. By about 4 months he is starting to listen to the actual sounds that you are making. At this age a child usually start to babble, trying to imitate the sounds she hears you make. When your child makes a sound listen to him and talk to him throughout … Continue reading →

Speech and Language Delays

Speech and language are separate things although they usually develop in conjunction with each other. Speech is a child’s ability to say words and express himself verbally. Language is the process of expressing and receiving language in a meaningful way both verbal and non-verbal. Usually a child can understand more than they can speak but by age three speech and language typically catch up to each other. Children who have a speech and language delay cannot express themselves and also have a lower comprehension of other’s speech. This delay is easier for parents to see because not only can their … Continue reading →

Child Speech and Language Development

Many parents wonder is my child’s speech developing normally? Does my child understand everything she should? Review the following general guidelines for speech and language development and find out if your child is on track. 6 months Babbling and using a number of different sounds like ma, da, ba, etc. Responds to his name Responds to human voices by turning his head Responds to the tone of the voice whether friendly or angry 12 months Uses one or more words with meaning (the same word is used to mean the same thing each time), may be a word fragment such … Continue reading →

12 Signs That Your Child Is Trying to Tell You Something

Children who are non-verbal or have language difficulties exhibit many behaviors in an effort to try to communicate. Sometimes these attempts to “tell you something” can be misunderstood. It might seem like your son or daughter is just being evasive, annoying, or naughty. But it’s important to recognize that children who have difficulty with speech struggle with a whole lot of frustration. When my son Kyle was a preschooler, his tantrums were incredibly severe because he could not adequately communicate his desires. I’m sure he sometimes felt like a tourist in a foreign country, getting a whole lot of blank … Continue reading →

What in the World is an IFSP?

In the world of special education, abbreviations abound. You might schedule an IEP for your ADHD child after EI and obtain OT services in compliance with IDEA, for example. It’s a special needs alphabet soup. I remember as a young mother of a child with a disability, that I often became confused by it all. IFSP is a term most every parent of a special needs child will have to become familiar with. IFSP stands for Individualized Family Service Plan. What is it? The typical scenario is that a doctor will first diagnose your infant or toddler with a developmental … Continue reading →

Is your child attached to you?

I know this seems to be a silly question for those of you with a biological child. But what you should know is that it is a very real problem effecting biological and adopted children. There have been many blogs about this under the adoption topic. However it is not solely an adoptive family problem. Children that spend a lot of time away from home, may it be in the hospital for a long period of time can develop an attachment disorder of some kind, this is just one example of what may cause an attachment disorder. What is an … Continue reading →