When your two year old says, "No wanna take baff," you know what she means. No need to correct her. Besides, it's cute. When your six year old asks "What time ith my baythbaw game?" That's not cute. Its worrisome. Are these speech defects serious? Will they go away on their own? Does he need a speech therapist? Be sure to read to your child as much as possible. You are your child's first teacher! Hearing you read, listening to the tones of your voice, and following along in a story teaches children about language. Brown Eyed Baby Boutique offers some wonderful educational baby toys to get your child reading, listening and learning as early as possible. If you are still concerned,a child might benefit from speech therapy for a variety of reasons, including the diagnosis and treatment of stuttering, lisps and speech or language delay. The National Institutes for Health, have identified these milestones as markers for the development of speech and language abilities. If your child does not show progress toward these milestones, consult your pediatrician.
Speech and language deficits are sometimes symptoms of cognitive or neurological problems.
18-23 months
Children should:
Enjoy being read to.
Follow simple commands without gestures.
Point to simple body parts such as "nose."
Understand simple verbs such as "eat," "sleep."
Correctly pronounce most vowels and the consonants no, me, p, h, especially at the beginning of syllables and short words.
Begin to use other speech sounds.
Say eight to 10 words (pronunication may still be unclear).
Ask for common foods by name. Make animal sounds.
Start to combine wors such as "more milk".
Begin to use pronouns such as "mine".
2-3 years
Children should:
Know about 50 words at 24 months.
Know some spatial concepts such as "in."
Know pronouns such as "you," "me," 'her."
Know descriptive words such as "big," "happy."
Say about 40 wors at 24 months.
Have speech that is becoming more accurate.
Answer simple questions.
Begin to use more pronouns such as "you," and "I."
Speak in two-to three-word phrases.
Use question inflection to ask for something.
Begin to use plurals such as "shoes" or "socks" and past-tense verbs such as "jumped."
3-4 years
Children should:
Group objects such as foods and clothes.
Identify colors.
Use most speech sounds but may distort some of the more difficult sounds such as l,r,s,sh,ch,y,v,z,th. (These sounds may not be mastered until age 7 or 8.)
Use consonants in the beginning, middle and ends of words.
Be able to describe the use of objects such as "fork" or "car."
Have fun with language.
Enjoy poems and recognize language absurdities such as, "Is that an elephant on your head?"
Express ideas and feelings.
Answer simple questions.
Remember, all babies and children develop at different rates. Do your best to follow these markers as guidelines and if you have any concerns, speak with pediatrician.
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