When it comes to Speech & Language development in children there are many questions that may come in to your mind. Most frequently asked questions from us as speech language pathologists/ speech therapists are” When should my child speak ?“, ” How many words he/she must talk according to the age…”
To answer all those questions we thought of writing this post for you.
Speech is not the only way of communication. There are different ways to express feelings. It can be by;
- Crying
- Using gestures
- Speaking
- Writing
Cry is the first way or indication of communication. Why we are saying that is because it occurs at birth. It’s the first symbol of expression.
Then kids will develop differential cries for their needs(hunger, warmth,protection…etc) Mother can identify what the baby needs just by the cry during the early stages of life because she is the primary caregiver during the first phase of life.
Speech & Language Development with age
6- 9 months
During this age kids start to make sounds by using their lips and tongue; making sounds like “ba- ba” “pa- pa” . This is called “babbling ”.
This is an important milestone for language development because this is the first time that parents can hear that their child is trying to communicate. It is an unforgettable movement in there life.
9-12 months
Around 9-12 months some kids will make “oo” “aa” sounds and it’s called cooing.
All above stages are in pre-lingustic period. During these stages kids will play with their oral structures such as tongue , lips while making new sounds and getting ready to make meaningful words.
Also they will be able to differentiate sounds such as parental voice and smile. They will be able to locate and turn towards the sound source.
Speech & Language Development at 1st year
Around 12- 14 months, child will speak their first meaningful word. It can be “Amma”, “Thaththa” or anything else. Along with that child will be able to walk independently. They will respond to their name and start pointing for their needs. Try to imitate sound and action. They’ll be able to follow simple one step commands such as “give ball”
Speech & Language Development at 2nd year
At 2 years of age a child will have a vocabulary of around 50 words. By using those they will try to communicate simple 2 worded sentences. Fix 2-3 building blocks and follow simple 2 step commands
Ex: Take the ball and keep it on the table
Speech & Language Development at 3rd year
A 3 year old child will be able to maintain attention for 20 min. At this age they must have an approximate vocabulary of 500 words. Must understand big / small concept,match according to colour & shape and be able to communicate using simple 3 worded sentences.
Speech & Language Development at 4th year
4 year old’s have a vocabulary of 1500- 2000. They will be able to interact/play with 4-5 kids as a group activity and able to follow rules of a game.
Speech & Language Development at 5th year
A 5 year old will be able to narrate a story on their own. Also they can pronounce most of the sounds. Ability to count, ability to say the alphabet, etc.
These are some milestones that the child will achieve. If your child doesn’t meet the above mentioned goals or if you have any doubt or feeling that the speech of your child is delayed, please make an appointment with a speech language pathologist.
Please don’t wait thinking “they will be fine with the age” or “his father was also a late talker”, “he/she will be fine when they start schooling”
Because of your decision your child might suffer!
Click here to access the FREE SCREENING TOOL that we have developed to find out the current level according to their age