Speech and language development is so important in a child’s early years. As the school year begins and kids start to get into their new routines, you may wonder if your child’s speech and language development is where it should be for their age or grade.
Even though teachers are a great resource in noticing possible difficulties in speech and
language development, the start of the school year is busy and it may take some time for kids to fully open up in order for these difficulties to be discovered. As a parent, knowing what to expect in your child’s speech and language development gives you the ability to be proactive and address any concerns you have.
Language Milestones
Language refers to the way a child can talk, understand, and use words to communicate. This area includes a lot of different skills, and a more detailed breakdown of developmental ages can be found on this page. These are just some of the skills we expect to see by age:
Infants (0-12 months)
- Babbles lots of different sounds
- Uses gestures like waving, reaching for “up,” and shaking head “no”
- Understands simple words/phrases like “no” and “come here”
Toddlers (1-3 years)
- Use 1 word around 12 months of age
- Starts to combine words together around 24 months
- By age 3, combines 3+ words together
- Follows simple directions without gestures
Preschoolers (3-5 years)
- Answers who, what, where, when, why questions
- Talks about what happened during the day using about 4 sentences at a time
- Keeps an age-appropriate conversation going
- Understands most of what they hear at home and in school
School-age children (K-2nd grade)
- Tells or retells a story with a logical sequence and using detail
- Can take turns and stay on topic when talking
- Uses parts of speech or grammar correctly
- Answers “wh” questions about stories or academic topics
Speech Sound Milestones
Speech sound or “articulation” skills mean a child’s ability to say specific sounds clearly and correctly. Problems in this area would include if a child says the “w” sound for an “l” so “lion” sounds like “wion.” Download a free chart with the expected ages of development based on the latest research here.
Of course, all children develop at their own rate and these milestones are only meant to guide you. If you find that your child does not yet do many of these skills or use the sounds they are expected to, you may want to seek help from a speech-language pathologist. Making Waves Speech Therapy offers free 15-minute phone consultations to discuss your child’s specific needs and see if a speech evaluation is recommended.
Contact:
www.makingwavesspeechtherapy.com
(757) 453-4899
nicole@makingwavesspeechtherapy.com
