You have probably heard that the first several years of your little one’s life are the most important to build strong language skills. That’s because, during the first few years of life, the human brain develops incredibly fast, and these years are considered the building blocks for the rest of your child’s development.
Participating in early intervention through diagnosis and treatment is critical because it increases the chances of improvement, versus waiting and hoping the troublesome areas “go away.” From promoting future success in school to improving relationships and behavior, early intervention can have a crucial impact on many facets of the child’s life.
We highly encourage parents/caregivers to request an opinion from your child’s pediatrician and/or a Speech Language Pathologist if you suspect a delay in your child’s language.
What are the early signs of speech and language delay?
2 months
- Doesn’t react to loud noises.
- Doesn’t watch things as they move.
3 months
- Doesn’t smile at people.
- Doesn’t follow movement by turning head.
- Doesn’t laugh in response to you.
4 months
- Doesn’t watch things as they move.
- Doesn’t smile at people.
- Doesn’t coo or make sounds.
6 months
- Doesn’t respond to nearby sounds.
- Doesn’t make vowel sounds such as “ah,” “eh,” “oh.”
- Doesn’t laugh or make squealing sounds.
9 months
- Doesn’t babble such as “mama,” “baba,” “dada.”
- Doesn’t play any games involving reciprocal interactions (i.e. peek-a-boo)
- Doesn’t respond to their name.
- Doesn’t seem to recognize familiar people.
- Doesn’t look where you point.
12 months or 1 year
- Doesn’t point to things.
- Doesn’t learn gestures like waving bye-bye or shaking head “no.”
- Doesn’t say single words like “mama”
18 months
- Doesn’t point to show things to others
- Doesn’t copy others.
- Doesn’t gain new words.
- Doesn’t say at least six words.
2 years
- Doesn’t know what to do with common things, such as a phone, or spoon.
- Doesn’t copy actions and words of others
- Doesn’t follow simple instructions given
- Doesn’t use two-word phrases such as “all done”
3 years
- Drools or has very unclear speech.
- Doesn’t understand simple instructions.
- Doesn’t speak in sentences.
- Doesn’t make eye contact.
- Doesn’t play pretend or make-believe.
- Doesn’t want to play with other children or with toys.
