It is a challenge to navigate the world of a child development. There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet. In my experience as a speech pathologist, the parents I work with are often overwhelmed and confused by what is out there. Child rearing is not for the faint-hearted. So our aim here is to help simplify at least one element of child development for you; language development. Let’s get an overview. What is language development? Language can be broken down into two subsections. Receptive language is how a child understands what is spoken (Paul & Norbury, 2013). Expressive language is how a child is able to speak themselves (Paul & Norbury, 2013). Language development is the process by which children come to understand and communicate during early childhood (Alic, 2018). Both of these areas of language begin developing the day your little bub is born and continues to develop rapidly (Alic, 2018).
Developmental norms
Google ‘typical language development’ and you will find a lot of different ages for milestones that a child is supposed to reach. Speech Pathology Australia has put together a comprehensive (and pretty) poster that summarises language milestones that your child is reaching for based on the best evidence (SPA, 2018). I use it in clinical practice as a guideline for parents, so they know they can be tracking their children’s speech and give them peace of mind that everything is moving along smoothly.
Speech Pathology Australia (2018); Communication Milestone Poster, ages 0-5: https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SPAweb/Document_Management/Public/Communication_Milestones.aspx
But what if…..
But what if your child isn’t hitting these language milestones or maybe they aren’t even talking yet? I often find that parents have a great intuition when something doesn’t seem right. In my experience they often talk to friends and family who say; “boys take longer to speak, don’t worry” or “my child didn’t talk until three and they are fine!” The best principal to live by is if you have a concern, get a speech pathology assessment. You won’t get ‘sucked in’ to therapy if everything is fine and you will get peace of mind. On the flip side, if there is a language delay you can work on it sooner rather than later.
Red Flags
Let’s have a quick chat about some ‘red flags’ researchers have identified as putting a child at risk of a developmental language delay;
- Family history of language delay or disorder (Campbell et al., 2003)
- Little to no babbling as a baby (Paul & Norbury, 2013)
- Being a late talker: which means having fewer than 50 words by the age of two (Lowry, 2016)
- Being unable to combine 2 words by the age of two. (Ruldolph & Leonard, 2016)
- A history of ear infections (Lowry, 2016)
Having a risk factor doesn’t mean that your child will certainly have a language delay, but it does put them at greater risk. Always remember the golden rule; if you have any concerns book in for an assessment. It’s the unknown that scares us the most.
Written by: Laura Fisher, Speech Pathologist
References:
Alic, M. (2018). Language development. Retrieved from:
http://www.healthofchildren.com/L/Language-Development.html
Campbell, T. F., Dollaghan, C. A., Rockette, H.E., Paradise, J. L., Feldman, H. M. 2003
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12705559
Lowry , L. (2016). How to tell if your child is a late talker- and what to do about it. Retrieved from:
http://www.hanen.org/helpful-info/articles/how-to-tell-if-your-child-is-a-late-talker-%E2%80%93-and-w.aspx
Paul, R., & Norbury, C. (2013). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence : listening, speaking, reading, writing, and communicating. St. Louis, Mo. :Elsevier,
Rudolph, J. M. & Leonard, L. B. (2016). Early language milestones and specific language impairment. Journal of Early Intervention, 38(1) 41 –58.
Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). (2018). Communication Milestones. Retrieved from:
https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SPAweb/Document_Management/Public/Communication_Milestones.aspx
