Clear speech is one of the prominent signs of a well-developed bub. By the age of 6 months, babies should generally be able to babble in baby talk, and say their first words between 10 and 15 months, with most starting around the 12-month mark. Though every child develops at their own pace, as parents, it can be worrying when your little bundle of joy misses an expected milestone.
While it is normal for a newborn baby to have little speech abilities, most toddlers by the age of 18 months can make simple words like “mama” or “papa”. Here are some signs of a speech delay in toddlers that might require parents to pay more attention to:
1 year old: inability to articulate simple words like “car”, “mummy” or “milk”
2 years old: inability to join two words to form simple phrases like “blue car” or “mummy milk”
3 years old: inability to speak short sentences of about three to four words like “mummy drink milk” or “daddy drive car”
Speaking later than normal or having slurred speech can indicate a physical issue such as a problem with the mouth, tongue or palate; it can also be a psychological issue. If you find your child not speaking, or perhaps still being incoherent by the age of 2, you may wish to seek professional advice to find out how to help your child.
This is called early intervention, and it refers to providing clinical intervention as early as possible even for suspected developmental delays, preferably before the age of three.
Below are some benefits of early intervention speech therapy:
1. Development Window
The first three years of a child’s life is marked by great development leaps. During this time, the brain acts as a sponge soaking up all there is to see and learn. Getting your child help in the form of early intervention speech therapy takes advantage of your child’s developing brain that is designed to pick up critical skills such as communication and swallowing.
Therapy during the initial years of your child’s life will enable him or her to thrive by identifying and addressing developmental delays before they manifest into more serious issues.
2. Social Training
One of the most common outcomes of speech therapy is the increased efficiency in communication. The therapy sessions can aid your child in learning important communication skills that come to use during play time and daily interactions. Even if conventional spoken communication fails, the child can use hand signs or picture cards to send his or her message across. This can help decrease the frustration of both the child and adults, fostering a positive relationship for all.
3. Lifestyle Modifications
Speech delay may occur from issues such as hearing loss. For children with permanent physical conditions, speech issues may be a long-term part of their lives. While it may be hard for some parents to accept, understanding this aspect early makes it easier to come to terms with the issue and learn how to work around it. A speech therapist can work with you to devise ways to make your child grow comfortably, by suggesting soothing methods such as reducing background noise or visual distractions.
Find Out More About Speech & Language Therapy
Like all developmental skills, learning how to master speech takes time and every child does it a little differently. If you suspect that your child has a speech delay, you may wish to seek help from a speech therapist.
At MindChamps Allied Care, we provide speech assessment and intervention programmes to identify and promote speech and language development, and restore your child’s confidence. Our personalised therapy programmes have effectively supported the growth of children in Singapore by helping them unlock their maximum potential and achieve their communication goals. Find out more about our holistic early intervention programme to help with children’s developmental challenges, or book an online consultation with MindChamps Allied Care today.
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