Early Language Delays

Speech and language delays occur when a child isn't developing speech skills at the expected rate.

As a parent it is important to remember that all children develop at different rates, so even if your child isn't meeting specific speech milestones, it does not mean that they are definitely experiencing speech delays.

Some common speech and language milestones that parents may expect their children to meet include:

0-3 Months 

Our speech and language skills are developing, even when we are young babies. At this age crying is the most obvious sign of speech skills developing, but parents can also expect babies to make sounds like 'ooh' and 'ah.'

4-6 Months

At this age babies will start to make more speech sounds such as sighing, grunting, gurgling, squealing, laughing as well as making different crying noises.

6-9 Months

As babies begin to reach their first birthday parents can expect them to start making babbling sounds as well as imitating the sound of speech from the adults around them.

12 months - 2 years

It is likely that children will say their first word around the time of their first birthday. Between that milestone and their second birthday, children will begin saying around 50 words and basic sentences.

3-5 Years

Between these, ages children will begin to develop conversation skills, which will set them in a good position for starting school.

If a child isn't meeting these milestones, it could be an indication that they are experiencing speech and language delays. Other signs that a child is experiencing speech and language delays include struggling with the following skills:

• Not being able to say simple words such as 'mama' and 'dada' clearly by the age of 12-15 months.
• Not understanding simple instructions like 'no' and 'stop' by the age of 18 months.
• Not being able to talk in short sentences by the age of three years old.
• Not telling short stories by the age of 4 or 5 years old.

There is no one thing that specifically causes speech and language delays, but some things that may have an impact include:

• Hearing loss
• Autism Spectrum Condition
• Slow development
• Selective Mutism
• Oral Impairments - issues with the tongue and soft palate

If a parent thinks their child is experiencing speech and language delays it is important to contact a specialist as soon as possible.

A speech and language therapist will check a child's speech and language skills and test them against particular milestones to get a sense of their development.

A speech and language therapist will also assess a child's:

• Receptive language skills - this is the 'input' of language, the way that people understand language that they have seen, read or heard. Examples of this are responding to instructions that children are given and comprehending a conversation well enough to respond.
• Expressive Language - this is the way we 'output' language the ways in which we express our wants, needs and ideas through verbal and non-verbal communication. Speech and language therapist will also want to ensure the way that children use expressive language makes grammatical sense.
• Speech clarity and sound production.
• Oral Motor status. Oral motor skills are when we use the muscles in and around our mouths, if there are any issues with these muscles, then it is likely to cause speech problems.