Just like other milestones, the window of learning to speak is also wide. There is no particular age defined and kids learn the language at their own pace. But sometimes, speech delay may be alarming, and parents need to figure out if there is any cause of concern.
Speech and Language Milestones
At 2 years of age, your child will say about 50 words and will speak in small sentences. Their vocabulary increases by 1,000 words by age 3 and they will speak in three to four-word sentences.
Your child may have speech delays if they have not met these milestones. These milestones are generalized guidelines to watch your child’s development. Remember, every child is unique in development and grows at his rate.
Having a speed delay doesn’t always mean that your child has some defect. Some babies are late learners and take time to develop oral motor skills. The majority of the time these delays can be effectively treated but if the delay is due to hearing loss, underlying neurological or developmental disorders, you might need to have a proper line of treatment.
To know more about the signs of speech delay, continue reading.
Signs of speech delay
Babies start cooing and making sounds when they turn 2 months of their age. If you find that your baby hasn’t made any of these noises, it could be an early sign of speech delay. By 12-15 months most babies say simple words like “mama” or “dada”. Again if your little one hasn’t said his first word by his first birthday, chances are that he might be having a delayed speech. Watch out for these l signs in toddler
Age 2: doesn’t use at least 25 words
Age 2 1/2: doesn’t use unique two-word phrases or noun-verb combinations
Age 3: doesn’t use at least 200 words, doesn’t ask for things by name, hard to understand even if you live with them
Any age: unable to say previously learned words
Causes of Speech Delay
● Hearing Disability: If your child had developed a speech delay, he or she may have a hearing loss or disability. Your baby will have difficulty forming words if he can’t hear well or hears distorted speech.
● Problems with mouth: Your child may have problems with the mouth, tongue, or palate. A tied-tongue or ankyloglossia can make it difficult to create sounds.
● Lack of stimulation: Environment also plays an important role in teaching language to your child. If you and your family don’t engage in speaking with the child, he is likely to develop speech delay.
● Autism: An autistic child possibly tend to develop speech and development delays. Repetitive phrases and behavior, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, impaired social interaction, and language regression are some of the other signs of autism.
● Neurological Defects: Certain neurological disorders can affect muscles necessary for speech. These include:
cerebral palsy
muscular dystrophy
traumatic brain injury
In the case of cerebral palsy, hearing loss or other developmental disabilities can also affect speech.
Conclusion
If your little one has not reached the milestone for speech for a particular age, it means they have developed a speech delay. It may due to an underlying condition and needs treatment but the majority of cases are not a cause of concern. If you are worried about your baby’s speech delay, you can try speech therapy and consult a pediatrician.
Instead of that you also know about the information related to Teething Syndrome In Babies.
Comments are closed.