Thursday, May 13, 2010

What should a parent look for to be worried about her toddler's language development?

What things should a parent look out for? When should she call the doctor about it?What should a parent look for to be worried about her toddler's language development?
I attached a link to a website that has all the general language milestones that a child should meet by certain ages. If you are ever concerned about your child, for any reason, do not hesitate to call their doctor. That's what you pay them for. :)What should a parent look for to be worried about her toddler's language development?
well i know everyone is going to tell u this but they all learn at there on speed. and will pick up words here and there. but not to worry until they get old say 3 years. and he still has problems and cant speak 3-4 word sentences then i would ask the doctor. but if you are unsure then next time you have a check up ask you Doctor about it and they can run test,,... but i wouldnt make a vist just for this....


good luck
We were recently asking this same question at the dr. At 12 months, they should have at least 2 - 3 words (usually mama, dada, bye, etc). At 18 months 10 -15 words. Between 18 - 24 months is when more words should really start coming around. Our son is 21 months and has recently just started spitting out tons of words. (Our first son had a vocabulary of 75 words by 18 months!) They are going to learn at their own pace, but there are some standards out there. Our first son is now almost 5 and has a bit of trouble making ';th'; sound, but that's it.





Also, consider this... does your child understand what you tell her? Can she follow simple directions? If so, her language is developing she just hasn't wanted or had the need to verbalize it to you. Continue to reward any improvement in verbalization from her.





The best thing for peace of mind is to just ask the doctor at her next appointment. Good luck!
You don't mention the age of the toddler but by the time a child is a few months old they can repeat sounds as they hear them.....like da da da, etc. So talk to the toddler a lot and look into his face and let him watch your mouth and tongue. You can also read, sing, etc.


If he is 'copy-catting' he is doing ok. After a year or so he should be able to say a few understandable words.


If you have any real concerns, mention them at your child's next regular check-up.
Our pediatrician has closely monitored his language at every visit and tells us what to expect and what to watch for and when/if to be concerned. I am surprised not all seem to do this.





I don't know how old your child is, but at my son's 18 mo appointment she expected him to have at minimum a dozen words and be able to point to and/or say a few body parts.
Depending on their age, keep an eye out for lisping that is when they use words using ';th';, also when there is no response and you find yourself talking louder than usual. Some children who are hard of hearing may tend to look at your mouth more often. Blinking when they speak or taking a while to get words out, stuttering comes in many forms.
Personally I think it all depends on the child and their environment. A lot of children I know who are not around other kids their age tend not to talk as much because mommy and daddy understand their every sound. Also I remember my son didn't really start talking clearly enough for other people than my husband and I to understand him until he was about 2 and a half. Even know at 3 and a half it can be hard to know what he is saying. But if you are concerned I would talk to your local doc or if he/she is in day care speak to their provider and she what they think of his or her speach.
If your child isn't really talking by the age of 2 get help. The sooner you get help for your toddler the easier it will be to treat any possible problem.


My son who is 28 months has speech issues and is seeing a speach patholighis now but things I noticed and was told to look out for was poor eye contact, not being able to put 2 words together limited vocabulary.


I hope this helps and if your toddler does need speech therapy I can say from experience it has helped my son hugely.

No comments:

Post a Comment