Delay in speech and language development are the most common types of developmental delays. Speech delay occurs when a child is not developing speech and language skills at the expected age. A child may understand language well but struggle to express themselves verbally, or they may have challenges with both understanding and speaking.
Every child develops at their own different pace, but there are milestones that most children achieve within specific age ranges. When a child consistently falls behind these milestones, it may indicate a speech delay that requires further evaluation. Some children may be frustrated when they cannot express in words their needs. Some speech delay are temporary while others are just signs of a more serious problem such as hearing loss. Parents are in the best position to gauge a child’s speech development. If any sign listed below is noticed, talk to a pediatrician immediately.
Signs To Watch Out For:
- Irresponsive to loud sounds by two months of age
- No production of cooing sounds by four months of age
- No production of vowel sounds ( ah, eh, oh) by six months of age
- No babbling by nine months of age
- Does not say simple words such as ‘mama’ by twelve months of age
- Does not say new words by eighteen months of age
- Inability to make two word phrases by twenty-four months of age