Developmental Milestones: Understanding and Supporting your Child’s Speech and Language Development

Speech and Language skills are crucial components of a child’s development. Tracking these milestones can help parents and caregivers ensure their child is developing as expected. Early identification of potential delays can lead to timely interventions, which can positively impact a child’s communication skills.

Supporting language development from birth can set the stage for effective communication skills throughout life. Understanding each stage of language development and knowing what to look for is the key to supporting your child through each stage.

STAGES of LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

1. Pre-linguistic Stage (0-12 months): Cooing and Babbling: In the first few months babies start by making cooing sounds, which are usual soft and consists of vowel like sounds. By six months of age, babies typically begin to babble, producing repetitive consonant vowel combinations such as “ba-ba” or “ma -ma”.

   First Words: Around their first birthday, many babies say their first word. These words are usually simple and often refer to people and objects they see frequently in their environment.

2. Early Linguistic Stage (12-24 months):

   Vocabulary Explosion: Between one and two years, children experience a rapid increase in their vocabulary. They begin to combine two words to form simple sentences such as “eat cookie” or “go car”. It is important to remember when modeling single words to include both nouns and verbs to set your child up for success when they start to combine words.

   Understanding and Following Directions: At this stage, children start to understand more complex instructions and can follow simple directions such as “give me the ball” or “pick up your shoes”.

3. Preschool Years (2-5 years):

   Sentence Formulation: Children begin to form longer and more complex sentences. They start using grammar more accurately, including plurals, past tense and possessives.

   Narrative Skills: by the age of four or five, children can tell simple stories and understand the basic structure of a narrative, including a beginning, middle and end.

4. School - Aged Children: (6+ years):

   Advanced Language Use: As children enter school, they continue to expand their vocabulary and refine their grammar. They learn to use language in different contexts, such as for story telling, explaining and negotiating.

   Literacy Skills: Reading and writing become important components of language development. Children learn to decode written text and express their ideas in writing.

TIPS TO SUPPORT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

1. Talk to your Baby: Engage in regular meaningful conversation with your baby, even before they can respond. Describe your actions, surroundings and feelings. This exposure helps babies hear the rhythm and sounds of language.

2. Read Aloud: Reading to your child from an early age fosters a love for books and introduces them to rich vocabulary. Choose age-appropriate books with colorful pictures and simple text. As your child grows, encourage them to participate by pointing to pictures, repeating words, and relating what you are reading to your child’s experiences.

3. Sing Songs and Nursery Rhymes: Singing songs and reciting nursery rhymes is a fun way to develop phonological awareness, which is critical for later spelling and reading skills. The repetitive and rhythmic nature of songs help children remember words and sounds.

4. Encourage Imitation: Babies and toddlers learn a lot by imitating adults. Encourage your child to imitate sounds, words and actions. It is important for you to imitate them back too! This introduces them to the concept of reciprocity (back and forth interactions) a necessary component for conversational skills. Play games like “peek-a-boo” or “pat-a-cake” that involve simple, repetitive actions and sounds.

5. Expand on Your Child’s Language: When your child says a word, expand on what they say. If they say “ball”, you can say “roll ball” or “big ball”. This not only acknowledges their communicative intent but also introduces new words and concepts.

6. Create Language-Rich Environment: Surround your child with a variety of language experiences. Talk about your daily activities, play with toys that encourage conversation, and expose them to different environments where they can hear and use language in various contexts.

7. Limit Screen Time: While educational programs and apps can be beneficial in moderation, it’s important to limit screen time and prioritize face - to - face interactions. Real life conversations and play are far more effective for language development.

Language development begins at birth and continues to evolve throughout a person’s life. By understanding the stages of language development and actively supporting your child’s communication skills, you can lay a strong foundation for their future success. Remember, the key is to engage, interact, and enjoy the journey of discovery together!