Speech Development: What Parents Need to Know

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Proper speech development is fundamental to a child’s growth and ability to thrive in life. Parents often wonder what they can do to best support their child’s speech development. I asked certified pediatric speech-language pathologist Kassie Hanson for her advice. Here’s what she said.

The Epoch Times: Why is it important for parents to monitor their children’s speech development?

Kassie Hanson: Monitoring a child’s speech and language development is so important because speech and language is the primary way we interact with other people and how we learn.

As young children, the power of speech and language allows children to get what they want and need. Relationships grow as we are able to talk back and forth with other people. As children enter school, they learn new words and new ideas through speech and language.

If a child gets behind, even at a young age, it can have lifelong impacts if they don’t receive intervention. All the research says that the earlier we catch delays in children, the better chance they have of catching up.

When parents are aware of the developmental norms and milestones for speech and language, they’re ensuring their children can get the help they need if they begin to fall behind.

The Epoch Times: What fundamental speech milestones should parents be aware of?

Ms. Hanson: Parents need to be aware of both receptive speech and language (what they understand) and expressive speech and language (what they can say or communicate).

By 3 months, a child should recognize the voice of a caregiver; by 6 months, they should be making a variety of sounds (/p/, /b/, /m/). By age 1, children should be saying their first word and understanding the word “no” and other simple directions.

Between the age of 1 and 2, toddlers should be able to respond to simple questions and be putting two-word phrases together. Between 2 and 3 years of age, children should be understanding more complex directions and using three-word phrases.

Between the ages of 3 and 4, children should be able to start using concept words for colors and shapes, and answering simple questions. By the time a child is between 4 and 5 years old, they should understand most of what is being said around them and be able to hold a back-and-forth conversation.

The Epoch Times: What are some strategies parents can employ to encourage their children’s proper speech development?

Ms. Hanson: There are so many things a parent can do to encourage great speech and language from an early age. One of the best things to do is simply narrate life as you go about it. As you are in the grocery store, talk about what kind of foods you see, the colors, the taste, and how many of each item you need. Talking about what you’re doing exposes children to tons of words in a meaningful way.

Reading to your child even when they are newborns is another great way to give them new words with relevant pictures they can connect to.

Varying the sentence length you use when you interact with your child is important. Sometimes during play, it’s best if you use short phrases or even single words to label things around you as you play together. Other times, it’s good to model a nice long sentence just so they are hearing a variety of words.

Singing with your child is an incredibly engaging way to help your child learn new words and ideas. It can be especially fun when you add meaningful motions or even show them pictures of what the song is about.

The Epoch Times: What are some signs that a child’s speech is not developing normally?

Ms. Hanson: Signs that your child may be behind or developing abnormally vary depending on the age. If your child is not using multiple different sounds (/b/, /p/, /m/, etc.) by 9 months, they might be behind. If your child doesn’t use words or gestures (like waving and pointing) by age 1, your baby might need to see a speech therapist.

Children who don’t make eye contact, smile, or try to “talk” to caregivers may be developing abnormally. By age 2, your child should have around 50 words and understand simple directions. By age 3, you should be able to understand the majority of what your child is saying.

The Epoch Times: What should parents do if they suspect their child has a speech issue?

Ms. Hanson: First and foremost, you should talk to your child’s doctor and express your concerns. Doctors often know where to start and can refer you to a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation.

If that doesn’t seem to work, you can look for speech therapy clinics in your area or call the local school district for resources.

The Epoch Times: Recently, some pediatricians, parents, and educators have expressed concerns about the effects of masks on speech development. Do you believe that face masks might be impacting children’s speech development?

Ms. Hanson: I think masks might be negatively impacting some children’s speech development, especially if they already have a known speech-sound disorder. For those who are just trying to learn speech and language, as long as masks aren’t worn in the home, they are getting exposure to seeing adults make words with their mouths, which should be helpful.

Luckily, children are very resilient, and I have high hopes that they will be able to catch up from any deficits that masks may have caused.

The children who seem to be having the hardest time are those who are getting speech therapy for articulation disorders and are not able to see the speech therapist make the sound. A big part of speech therapy is the visual input of seeing your therapist make the sound. As a speech-language pathologist, this has certainly been a struggle for me and my young clients.