Early years (from birth to 5 years of age) are crucial for language skills development . Children learn by participating in to and fro communications with the adults in their close circle.
If the child communicates less , then that can hinder essential feedback and input required for his/her speech development.
Early language intervention is important for future academic and personal success.
When to seek help from Speech / Language Professional?
If you see any of these Red Flag Signs , it is recommended to seek help from a professional :
- By 12 months
doesn’t babble with changes in tone – e.g. dadadadadadadadada
doesn’t use gestures like waving “bye bye” or shaking head for “no”
doesn’t respond to her/his name
doesn’t communicate in some way when s/he needs help with something
- By 15 months
doesn’t understand and respond to words like “no” and “up”
says no words
doesn’t point to objects or pictures when asked “Where’s the…?
doesn’t point to things of interest as if to say “Look at that!” and then look right at you
- By 18 months
doesn’t understand simple commands like “Don’t touch”
isn’t using at least 20 single words like “Mommy” or “up”
doesn’t respond with a word or gesture to a question such as “What’s that? or “Where’s your shoe?”
can’t point to two or three major body parts such as head, nose, eyes, feet
- By 24 months
says fewer than 100 words
isn’t consistently joining two words together like “Daddy go” or “ shoes on”
doesn’t imitate actions or words
doesn’t pretend with toys, such as feeding doll or making toy man drive toy car
- By 30 months
says fewer than 300 words
isn’t using action words like “run”, “eat”, “fall”
isn’t using some adult grammar, such as “two babies” and “doggie sleeping”
- 3-4 years
doesn’t ask questions by 3 years
isn’t using sentences (e.g., “I don’t want that” or “My truck is broken”) by three years
isn’t able to tell a simple story by four or five years
If you’ve noticed one or more of these warning signs in your child, it’s important that you take action right away to ensure that the child receives the help he/she needs.
Source : http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/When-You-Are-Concerned/Warning-Signs.aspx
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Thanks for the Informative article. If we found any delays in the child’s development we must consult the developmental pediatrician at the right time. Earlier the problem is identified and therapy started the better for the child’s development.
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Totally agree with you . Thanks for reading .
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