If your child has a speech issue, such as a delay in starting to speak, unclear speech, poor pronunciation, or stammering, consult the questionnaire above. The majority of speech issues go away on their own over time without any kind of intervention. Nonetheless, in some circumstances, therapy can help a child’s speech.
Speech Improvement
The 1st year
Youngsters start exchanging messages long before they are able to speak. Since infancy, kids have been listening to and enjoying the sound of their parents’ voices, and they have come to link such sounds with safety and comfort. They start learning to produce their own sounds around the age of two months, including gurgling, cooing, and grunting. Those noises transform into syllables like “ma,” “da,” and “ga” in the second half of the first year. These words progressively get more complicated until your toddler starts chattering long syllabic phrases. By the end of the first year, the majority of kids can grasp a few basic words, sentences, and instructions and have usually mastered the ability to use at least one recognized word in its appropriate context.
The 2nd year
Even though a child’s speech is still mostly babbling throughout the first half of the second year, their vocabulary grows quickly. The expressions “mommy go” and “doggie eat,” for example, relate the names of people or things to orders or actions in a logical way. Your audience’s ability to comprehend what you say at this point is growing quickly. A solid vocabulary and grammatical foundation is also being developed, despite the fact that it might not yet be noticeable in your child’s speech.
noticeable in your child’s speech.
The 3rd year
A kid consolidates and expands upon the foundational vocabulary and grammatical skills that were taught in the second year throughout the third year. A child’s vocabulary expands and their confidence in using words rises as a result of a seeming never-ending barrage of questions about the names of things and what they do. By the end of this year, the majority of kids can convey their wishes and views, have short conversations about common topics that interest them, and understand the majority of what adults say—as long as it isn’t too complicated or abstract.
What can you do to support the linguistic development of your child?
Youngsters who are regularly exposed to the sound of voices, especially those of their parents, from a young age, learn to talk more easily. You may make sure that your child gets lots of stimulation and encouragement to talk when he or she is ready by following the particular recommendations below.
- Talk to your child frequently beginning at infancy.
- When speaking to your child, make sure you are looking straight at them so that your facial expressions can convey the meaning of what you are saying.
- To assist your youngster, connect certain words with things and events, use actions.
- By repeating well-known words and phrases, use kid-friendly books and nursery rhymes to increase your child’s vocabulary and confidence.
- Give your youngster several opportunities to interact with other kids and adults.
- Avoid interrupting your child all the time to improve their grammar or pronunciation as this could damage their confidence. Instead, focus on speaking with authority by setting a positive example.
If your youngster looks to be a little delayed in using language, don’t worry. Even so, your child will be listening to you speak, and once they begin talking, late talkers soon catch up to their early talkers.