Early intervention for communication delays is critical!
A young child is changing rapidly during the first years of life, and some skills might develop more quickly than others. In the early stages of language development, it can be difficult for parents to know whether a child is delayed compared to peers. At what point should you get your child help?
You might be wondering whether your child’s communication delays are due to…
…having an older sibling who “talks for them”.
…not yet starting daycare of school yet.
…exposure to more than one language.
…too much screen time.
…prematurity and needing time to catch up.
…spending time in the hospital as an infant/toddler.
…a neurological or medical condition.
I often hear parents say that when they ask the pediatrician about their child’s delays, the pediatrician recommends that they “wait and see”. For some children, however, waiting to see if a child catches up will only contribute to more delays.
Here is a summary of typical communication skills before 18 months:
Before 6 months:
- Reacts to or turns toward sounds, music, and talking
- Responds to your facial expressions with their own facial expression
- Coos and makes vowel sounds with some consonants (aaaahhhh, daaaa, mmmmmm)
7-9 months:
- When you call their name, they look at you
- When you say “no”, they stop what they’re doing
- Vocalizes sequences of consonant + vowel sounds (mamamama, dadadada)
- Understands the names of some people and things
- Turns away from nonpreferred toys or foods
- Giving objects to others (releasing it from hand)
10-12 months:
- Raise their arms to be picked up by caregiver
- Waving their hand by wiggling it
- Pointing to things with an open-hand and fingers spread
- Hold up and show objects to get and share others’ attention
- Shake head “no”
- Looks for things you hide
- Says a few words, like mama, dada, baba
13-18 months
- Imitating others sounds and words (and gestures)
- Gestures grow to include clapping, blowing a kiss, thumbs up, mature waving, shoulder shrug for “I don’t know”, high five, and more.
- Pointing with an isolated index finger to call attention to something at a distance
- Nodding head for “yes”
- Looking around when you ask where questions, such as “where is your cup?”
- Following single step directions, such as “point to your nose”, “throw the ball”
- By 18 months, your child is likely using more than 10 words, maybe as much as 50+. Less than a few words may suggest concern.
Learn more about communication milestones from these resources:
Here are the 16 gestures your child should have by 16 months at the First Words Project: https://firstwordsproject.com/ These are foundational skills for communicating.
Here are detailed language milestones up through 5 years: https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones/?srsltid=AfmBOopFAvbfx5alJf4F-6ojs1nHSUPqPtssDfnLTnYy6B7Dz_7n70fL
There is a critical window for improving delays in communication skills, because continued delays can impact other areas of development.
Difficulties understanding and following directions OR communicating with others can contribute to:
- Delays in academic skills (especially early Reading)
- Delays in cognitive development
- Difficulty connecting and playing with peers
- Attention problems (due to overwhelm)
- Dysregulated behavior or big emotions (due to overwhelm)
If you suspect that your child may have communication delays, ask your pediatrician for a referral to get an evaluation with a speech/language therapist. Families of children under the age of 3 years can get this evaluation free of charge through the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Babies Can’t Wait program. If you prefer to use private services, contact your insurance company to find speech/language therapy providers near you.
If you feel that your child may benefit from a comprehensive evaluation to understand overall developmental strengths and weaknesses, contact us to learn about a neurodevelopmental evaluation in young children. For those born prematurely or with a medical or neurological condition, an early evaluation can also help schools appreciate developmental differences. Reach out for a free consult at [email protected]
Also check out this resource: https://pedneurocenter.com/developmental-evaluations-with-infants-and-preschool-children/
