"He's already two years old........I just want him to say Mummy"
This is a very common wish I hear parents say when
they first attend an initial Speech Therapy consult of a child they feel are
not talking as much as their peers of the same age. The general consensus
is that “late talkers” are young children (between 18 & 30 months of age)
that do not meet the talking milestones considered typical for development -but
their understanding seems fine. Typical development of play skills, motor
skills, thinking skills, and social skills are also often in place, but
they are just using a limited number of spoken words for his or her age.
"What are Typical Spoken Word Milestones?"
Parents often feel guilty when they compare their
child’s speech development to other children at playgroups or in the park….
aren’t we always told not to compare our child with others. Don’t we
always hear “All children develop at their own pace”. Sometimes these thoughts
are used when looking for an explanation for a child’s delayed talking
development. While children do develop at their own pace to some extent, we
know that there are certain milestones which should be reached by a specific
age. When they are not reached, this becomes cause for concern with potential
long-term implications for school readiness and early social skill development.
Spoken Word Milestones
The following milestones can help you determine if
your child’s Spoken Vocabulary is appropriate for his or her age. If your child
has not yet reached these milestones, parents are advised to seek support –
such as obtaining advise and ideas from a speech-language
pathologist. Remember the number of Spoken Words shown below are the
lowest that are expected for the ages shown………. however typically children
of these ages are saying 2 to 3 times the number of words listed:
18 month olds
·
18 month
olds should use least 20 words, including different types of words, such
as “thing words” (“baby”, “ball), action words (“eat”, “go”),
place words (“up”, “down”), describing words (“hot”, “sleepy”), and
social words (“hi”, “bye”).
Find Out How Many Words
YOUR Child Uses Today!
With our online interactive checklist
24 month olds
·
24 month
olds should use at least 100 words and combine 2 words together. These word combinations should be generated by the
child, and not be combinations that are “memorized bites” of language, such as
“thank you”, “bye bye”, “all gone”, or “What’s that?”. By 2 years of age
talking should contain true word combinations such as “Daddy gone”,
“eat banana”, or “yukky hands”. The speech may not always be clear at this age
but the word attempts are present and understood by parents and unfamiliar
people.
Parents that bring their children in to Speech Therapy
at 3 or 31/2 years of age (with now major delays) often say they wished they
had listened to their own gut feelings and seeked help at 18-24 months.
They often say that they “knew even then that his
speech was a bit slow”. Many of these parents, whose child seems to be
developing normally in every other way but the number of spoken words used, say
that they were told not to worry by the people around them. Common things
that parents hear that slow their momentum to seek information or
advise from a speech pathologists include: that someone in the family
“didn’t talk until they were 3” or that “boys talk late”. Other parents say
that their doctors, friends or in-laws all told them to wait until their child
was at least two before seeking help; that “18 months is too early to
worry” and to “wait and see”.
WHERE CAN YOU
FIND HELP?
* Our Online eProgram FOCUS on Toddler Talk!
* Brisbane Individual & Group Therapy at Speechnet
* Skype / Facetime Speech Therapy
* Home / School / Childcare / Educational Centre Visits
IS YOUR CHILD
a LATE TALKER?
How many times have we heard that Einstein was late to talk? BUT……We don’t hear about all the other late talkers that “could have been like an Einstein but didn’t meet their full potential”.
This collision of their “gut feeling telling them to
seek advice” and people surrounding them to “wait & see” can be a
very confusing situation for parents who only want the best for their
children.
Research shows that up to one-third of late talkers
with no other developmental concerns do infact “catch-up” in the preschool
years. However, currently confident determination of which toddlers
will catch-up and which ones won’t, is virtually impossible. Getting advice and
listening to your gut feelings if you think your child is looking like a “late
talker” may be a better plan than hoping your child will fall into the
one-third catch up group. The odds are not great without direction from a
professional that knows how to work with toddlers to optimise development.
About the author
Dr Sandra McMahon, Speech Pathologist, PhD is clinical
and research paediatric speech pathologists that has worked as the Director of
Speech Pathology at a major metropolitan Children’s Hospital, lectures at
University in the area of early child communication and literacy development
& disorders and a consultant to Kindergartens and Child Care Centres. Dr
McMahon is currently the Founder, Director and Senior Speech Pathologist of the
multi-disciplinary SpeechNet Speech Pathology & Learning Centre. Dr McMahon
is frequently invited to present to parent groups, educational facilities,
Speech Pathology Clinical Development events & conferences. She is
certified practising member of the Australian Speech Pathology Association.
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PRODUCTS TO HELP
lATE tALKERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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WHERE CAN YOU
FIND HELP?
* Our Online eProgram FOCUS on Toddler Talk!
* Brisbane Individual & Group Therapy at Speechnet
* Skype / Facetime Speech Therapy
* Home / School / Childcare / Educational Centre Visits
