by Zoe Trudeaux

Created on: April 28, 2008

Recognizing a delay in speech development is often a frightening experience for parents. Speech problems are usually first suspected when a child is not speaking at the same level as his/her peers. Some children might just need a little time to blossom, but others may have a problem that requires medical attention.

Speech delay is usually the result of an underlying condition, including but not limited to: hearing impairment, dyslexia, apraxia, or autism. Early intervention can effectively treat most conditions, so the best course of action is for parents to stop blaming themselves and seek professional help.

Parents who are worried about speech delay should realize that it is normal for some children to be a little behind their peers in certain areas. Sometimes a child may take longer to talk because he/she is mastering another skill, such as walking.

Parents should be familiar with what is normal and what is not, so that they can recognize the signs of speech delay as soon as possible.

WHAT'S NORMAL

By 12 months of age, your child should be able to:
*Say 3-5 words
*Recognize his/her name
*Understand simple instructions
*Use familiar words, gestures, and sounds
*Understand common objects and actions (like eat, juice, ball, dog)

By 18 months of age, your child should be able to:
*Use 10-20 words, including names
*Recognize pictures of familiar people and objects
*Use early two word combinations (like "what's that" or "give me")
*Verbally request needs like "more" and "now"

WHAT'S NOT NORMAL

Symptoms of speech delay include:
*Not meeting the developmental milestones for speech development (as outlined above)
*Speech development that lags behind other children of the same age by at least one year
*Inability to follow directions
*Slow or incomprehensible speech after three years of age
*Serious difficulties with sentence structure
*Substituting, omitting, or distorting certain sounds

Like so many other things, speech development is a mixture of nature and nurture. A child's genetic makeup will, in part, determine speech development. However, a lot of it depends on the child's environment as well. Children often do better when they are read to at home and when they have a chance to verbally express themselves on a regular basis.

My three year old son has the vocabulary skills of a one year old. At first I told myself that he was just taking his time to talk, because he was normal in all other aspects of his development. However, I started to worry when his cousin (who is the same age) began saying sentences. His pediatrician referred him to a speech therapist to further evaluate whether or not treatment will be necessary.

Parents who suspect a delay in speech development should always talk to their pediatrician. If speech problems do exist, early intervention can provide the help your child needs.

Sources: www.healthline.com

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