Delayed Speech or Language Development in Children; What Parents Need to Know?

Speech Therapy Hearing Exam Dr. Cindy Gellner American Academy of Pediatrics Language delay speech delay

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Jul 23, 08:18 pm

The age at which children learn a language and start talking can vary; thus, parents must know a bit about language development as it can help them figure out if there are concerns for their children.

Speech is the verbal expression of language which entails articulation or the way how sounds and words are formed. On the other hand, language is giving and acquiring information.

A child with a language delay might utter words well but can only put two words together, whereas, a child with a speech delay might use words and phrases to express ideas but is hard to understand.

According to Kids Health, a child who doesn't respond to sounds or vocalize should be examined by a doctor right away, hence, it's sometimes hard for parents to know if their child is taking a bit longer to reach a language milestone or if there are problems.

Speech or language milestones

Dr. Cindy Gellner, a pediatrician that goes over speech and language development for babies and toddlers, stated that before reaching 12 months, toddlers should be checked to see if they are using their voice to relate to their environment.

Cooing and babbling are the most common early stages of speech development as they get older, usually around 9 months, they begin to string sounds together and say words such as momma and dadda until they are about 12-15 months old.

By 9 months old, they should be already attentive to sounds and start to recognize the names of the common object. Babies who only watch intently but don't react to sound may be showing early signs of hearing loss.

Roughly 15%-25% of young children have some kind of communication disorder. Boys are most likely to develop language skills a little late than a girl but in general, kids may be labeled as late-talking children if they speak less than 10 words by the age of 18 to 20 months, or less than 50 words by 21 to 30 months of age.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the toddler should be able to speak in two to three-word sentences and should be able to obey simple instructions and repeat words heard in conversation by the end of the second year, per Web MD.

Helping your child talk

Many things cause speech delays such as hearing loss, physical problems in the roof of the mouth, learning disabilities, or particular diagnosable conditions like autism spectrum disorder or cerebral palsy.

Speech delays can also occur in isolation without any other medical diagnosis.

Parents deciding to seek out a speech-language pathologist is the first and main step to getting treatment for your child. The earlier a child works with a speech therapist, the faster the result will come out.

When a child starts speech therapy, they'll be evaluated by a speech-language pathologist and each treatment will be designed according to an individualized treatment plan for a child.

A child's therapist may use language activities such as playing, modeling sounds, talking and reading books. Articulation therapy is also included as it helps a child to learn how to pronounce specific sounds, per Intermountain Healthcare.