What is typical speech and language development? It’s true that there is a wide range of typical development. Every child learns new skills at his/her own rate, however, being aware of standardized normative data is important so that parents and caregivers can intervene early when there is a need. Typically children should be starting to use words around 1 year of age. By 18 months, most children have about 50 single words that they can use, and by 2 years of age children should have a vocabulary of 200 words and should be combining words into phrases.
What should I do if I’m worried about my child’s speech/language skills? The simple answer to this is: call a professional. Speech/Language Pathologists have a Master’s Degree specifically in speech and language development. Many parents have had their concerns shrugged off by friends, family members, or even the pediatrician. Truth be told; friends and family are well-meaning in their advice, but they aren’t the experts. I cannot count the number of times that parents have confided in me that they regretted not seeking help earlier. If you are concerned, trust your gut and seek the advice of a professional. Many speech/language clinics are happy to provide complementary screenings/consultations to hear your concerns and give you their opinion on whether or not an evaluation would be beneficial for your child.
What causes speech/language delays? This one doesn’t have an easy answer. But I can tell you what doesn’t cause them: you! You as a parent should not feel guilt about why your child is struggling in developing a certain skill. Sometimes speech/language delays can be the result of an underlying medical issue (i.e. hearing loss), sometimes there is another undiagnosed condition, such as Autism, often, for whatever reason, it’s just the way that this particular little one was wired. Their brain needs help learning how to effectively communicate. The most common misconception that I hear is that parents are concerned that by me saying that their child needs help with their communication skills I’m implying that they aren’t smart. This is not the case. Many very bright children need help with speech/language, in fact there are many students that are classified as “gifted” that also attend speech therapy.
What can I do to help my child with speech/language delays? This is my favorite question! Parents can do so much to help their child’s speech/language skills develop- you are their first and favorite communication partner! Sitting on the floor, playing, singing and interacting with your child help them to learn and communicate. If your child is in speech/language therapy, play an active role in therapy sessions and ask your Speech/Language Pathologist what, specifically, you can do at home to target the same skills that they are working on. Also, continue to follow this blog to learn about activities that you can incorporate at home with your children to improve speech/language skills.
5 strategies to use when reading with your child
One of the questions I ask when parents are concerned about their child’s language skills is “how do they do at story time?” Most parents realize that they should be reading to their child, but many don’t really know why. Reading with your child is an important daily activity that teaches so many skills including: new vocabulary words, listening and speaking skills, and phonemic awareness (just to name a few). Many studies show that reading to your child helps develop literacy and language skills, but it’s not just about what you read, but how you read it.
“Dialogic reading” is a interactive reading strategy that focuses on preparing the child to gradually become the story teller. Look beyond the fancy title and you’ll see that this is a simple, but powerful, technique that focuses on making story time more interactive. This strategy focuses on shared interaction during book reading, as opposed to one person being the “reader” and one being the “listener.” While using this strategy the adult prompts the child to say something about the book, evaluates the child’s response, and then expands on it. As the child becomes more familiar with the book, the adult can read less and listen more, allowing the child to take the lead.
It’s so common for parents to feel the need to read a book, word for word, and expect their child to sit and listen. I encourage parents to throw those old story time “rules” out! The shared enjoyment of reading a book together should be the first goal, even if that means you just look at the pictures.
When reading to your child, try these strategies to encourage more engagement and help develop their language skills:
Pause to see if your child will fill in the blank at the end of a sentence of a familiar book.
Ask specific questions about the book as you read.
Ask your child to tell you about the pictures in the book.
Ask wh- questions (such as “who?”, “what?”, “when?” and “where?”).
Relate pictures in the book to the child’s own experiences.
For more information about dialogic reading, visit:
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_dialogic_reading_042710.pdf