Learning speech and language is among the most important tasks facing your child in her first five years. Long before she says her first word, she'll have learned many of the basic concepts on which people base communication, mostly from daily interactions with you and your family. Understanding how and when language develops can help you recognize normal speech development and pick up on warning signs that your child may need extra help in learning how to speak and understand language.
Milestones
While every child develops at his own pace, most children meet language and speech milestones in a predictable order within broad age ranges. By the age of 5 months, for instance, your baby should respond to loud noises, turn toward sounds, watch your face when you speak to him and try to "talk" back, states KidsHealth from Nemours. By 12 months, he'll try to imitate sounds that you make. At 18 months, he'll know the names of familiar objects and people, and by 24 months, he'll be able to say at least 8 to 10 words and combine them in two-word phrases.
Prevalence
Communication disorders, including speech, language and hearing disorders, affect nearly 10 percent of people in the United States, according to the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that during the 2002-2003 school year, 1.4 million children received special education services for speech and language delays that were not related to other disorders, such as deafness or a learning disability. Speech and language delays and disorders are the most common developmental problem, according to the University of Michigan Health System website, affecting between 5 and 10 percent of all preschool children.
Intervention
Early intervention is important because children acquire speech and language skills more easily before the age of 5, reports the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Talk to your pediatrician if your child is not meeting expected developmental milestones. She may recommend hearing tests and other tests that can help pinpoint a disorder or delay and refer you for speech therapy and other services to help your child develop language skills. In many states, the school district provides early intervention services, including speech therapy, for infants, toddlers and preschoolers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Misconceptions
Baby talking to your infant will not delay his speech. In fact, just the opposite is true, according to a publication from Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. The higher pitch, elongated vowels and exaggerated voice tone that characterizes "baby talk" engage and hold your infant's attention better than normal speech patterns. Your baby learns a lot about the give-and-take of conversation and communication from your exaggerated facial expressions, long pauses between phrases and repetition of sounds.
Expert Insight
The best way to teach your child language and speech skills, say the authors of "Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn," is to talk to her. Children learn language in the context of interaction, explain researchers Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Golinkoff and Diane Eyer. Talk to your child, starting at birth. Play peek-a-boo, use baby talk and play singing and rhyming games. Engage her in conversation regularly, and read to her often to help her develop language and grammar skills.
References
- KidsHealth from Nemours: Delayed Speech or Language Development
- University of Michigan Health System: Speech and Language Delay and Disorder
- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: Speech and Language Impairments
- Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics: Speaking Parentese--Benefits of Baby Talk
- "Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn"; Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta M. Golinkoff, Diane E. Eyer; 2003
