WHAT SKILLS SHOULD MY CHILD HAVE & WHEN?

Language is the words, thoughts and concepts we have in our minds. Speech is one way in which we convey our language to other person. We can also convey our language through sign language, or writing. Almost all learning depends on language. Children find school easier if they have well developed language skills.

A QUICK CHECK: DOES MY CHILD NEED A SP?

Early language intervention is essential for children with a communication delay to develop the communication skills necessary for future success in their academic and personal lives. At ESP we recommend that you book a consultation with a speech pathologist if your child:

By 12 months

  • doesn’t babble with changes in tone
  • doesn’t use gestures like waving “bye bye” or shaking head for “no”
  • doesn’t respond to her/his name
  • doesn’t communicate in some way (vocalisation with gesture)

By 15 months

  • doesn’t understand at least 3 words like “up”, “all gone”, “no”, “more”, “mama”, “bye”, “night night”
  • doesn’t say words
  • doesn’t enjoy rhymes and people games like “peek a boo”
  • doesn’t point to objects or pictures when asked “Where’s the…?”
  • doesn’t point to things of interest as if to say “Look at that!” and then look right at you

By 18 months

  • doesn’t understand simple commands like “Don’t touch”
  • doesn’t understand 20-50 words: names of toys, food, family names, animals, some actions
  • isn’t using at least 20 single words like “Mama” , “up”, or “no”
  • doesn’t respond with a word or gesture to a question such as “What’s that?”or “Where’s your shoe?”
  • can’t point to two or three major body parts such as head, nose, eyes, feet

By 24 months

  • says fewer than 150 words
  • understands less than 200 words
  • doesn’t use different types of words like action words
  • using only single words to communicate
  • is frustrated trying to communicate
  • doesn’t imitate actions or words
  • doesn’t pretend with toys, such as feeding doll or making toy man drive toy car

By 2 ½ years

  • says fewer than 300 words
  • isn’t using action words like “run”, “eat”, “fall”
  • isn’t using some adult grammar, such as “two babies” and “doggie sleeping”
  • Isn’t using early questions, such as “what daddy doing?”

By 3-4 years

  • doesn’t ask questions by 3 years
  • is using less than 3-4 word phrases at age 3
  • is having difficulty understanding what you say to him/her?
  • is stuttering for more than 6 months
  • isn’t able to tell a simple story by four or five years

References:

The Hanen Centre. (2011). When should you Seek Help? [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from
http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/What-Parents-Need-to-Know/Warning-Signs.aspx

(June 2015)