EARLY LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DEVELOPMENT
Language development in a young child is a truly remarkable accomplishment! Your child must begin to understand words and their meanings, learn to imitate words and eventually combine them into phrases and sentences, and learn how to use those words and sentences appropriately with others in a variety of situations and contexts. In addition, a child must learn to imitate speech sounds and combine those sounds appropriately in order to speak clearly and be understood by others. Isn't it amazing that most children acquire our language quite naturally and are independent, intelligible speakers by age 5?

Language and speech development begins long before children actually say their first words. The foundations for language and speech development are laid during the child's early months of life and are formed by the interactions between the baby and parents/caregivers. Babies learn to attend to our faces, our gestures and our words, and begin to imitate the sounds that we make. They also begin to understand basic concepts and the words associated with those ideas. Around the first birthday, the child usually begins to imitate strings of sounds and these become the child's first words, which may consist of only the first sounds or syllable. It is common for the child to use a very small number of speech sounds at this time.

As the child becomes a toddler, his vocabulary grows by leaps and bounds. Generally by age 2, a child will have a vocabulary of at least 50 words including names of objects and people, action words such as "go, eat", descriptive words like "hot, big" and social words like "yes/no, please/thank you, and mine". A greater number of speech sounds are now heard, although difficult sounds are often simplified in their productions. Specific speech sounds are mastered at different ages and continue to develop gradually throughout the child's preschool years. Around this time, children begin to combine words into simple phrases and sentences. By age three, these phrases expand into 3 and 4 word combinations.  

During the preschool years, language and speech skills explode! The child begins to speak in complex sentences, ask questions and carry on a conversation. The child acquires appropriate grammatical skills. The child's articulation skills also improve dramatically, with the addition of many later developing sounds and consonant blends.

Imaginative play and interaction with peers begins to be seen. The child continues to increase his vocabulary and conversational skills and will eventually learn to read and write, both of which are dependent upon early language and speech development. 

Many children do not acquire language and speech skills within the appropriate age ranges however. Speech/language delays are often the result of chronic ear infections, hearing impairments or other medical conditions, premature birth or other prenatal/postnatal conditions, genetic syndromes, feeding and/or oral motor issues, or due to cognitive or social deficits.

You may wish to have your young child evaluated by a Speech and Language Pathologist early in life in any of the following speech/language milestones have not been achieved.

With early intervention, many children are ready for kindergarten without further need of speech/language services.  

• The child does not turn to his own name, recognize familiar objects and people by name or follow simple commands by 12 to 15 months of age.
  
  
• The child does not babble, imitate simple speech sounds or words by 12 to 18 months of age.
  
  
• The child is unable to make his wants and needs known through any means (gestures, facial expressions, verbalizations) by age 18 months to 2 years.
  
  
• The child is unable to imitate early-developing speech sounds such as (m, n, p, b, h, and w) by age 2.
  
  
• The child is unable to combine words into phrases or simple sentences by 2 to 2 1⁄2 years of age.
  
  
• The child is very difficult to understand and does not appear to be improving in his speech sound production skills by 2 1⁄2 to 3 years of age.
  
  
  
  Suggestions for stimulating your child's Language and Speech Development 

• Read to your child every day, beginning in early infancy. Point out common objects and name them. Have your child imitate the words as he gets older.
  
  
• Talk about everything you and your child are doing. Name people, objects and actions in his environment. Encourage him to imitate your sounds and words.
  
  
• Play with your child frequently! Play interactive, talking/singing games like "pat-a-cake" and "peek-a-boo" and show him how to play too!
  
  
• Give your toddler simple commands to complete, for example: "get your shoes" or "bring Mommy your ball" to develop his language comprehension skills.
  
  
• Bring your child to your face to watch how you say a new word, like "Mama" or "Daddy" or "bye-bye". Place a lot of emphasis on new speech sounds and how you've made them.
  
  
• Use repetition when you talk or play with your child, ex. "doggy goes up, up, up!"
  
  
• Provide your child with a wealth of experiences! Visit grandparents, go to the park or take a walk, visit the zoo, get together with friends, etc. Each new experience will provide your child with new vocabulary, language and social opportunities.