Is your child not speaking as much as you expected? Are there signs of speech delay and you are concerned about their speech and language development? Each small step, every little accomplishment, and every moment in your child's life reveals how they are growing. These moments provide important clues about your child's physical, mental, emotional, and social development. It's important to know that children grow at their own pace, but there are still ranges for normal development. If you see them regressing in their development, struggling to engage, or having difficulty understanding words, these all could be signs of speech & language delay.

Navigating your child's speech and language delays might feel isolating, but it's a common issue. For speech specifically, 5-10% of children experience noticeable speech disorders by the first grade. These disorders are among the most prevalent developmental delays in the United States, with around 1 in 12 children exhibiting signs of speech delay. Adding in language delays, the number of affected children jumps to nearly 1 in 6.

Unfortunately, many don't receive early intervention due to awareness and access issues. There is an increasing demand for qualified speech and language pathologists (SLPs) for children, and in many areas and populations, there is a shortage of pediatric SLPs. Shortages may be more pronounced in rural or underserved areas, where access to healthcare professionals, including SLPs, can be limited. SLPs often work in schools, and the demand for school-based SLPs can vary by school district and region, with many schools experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining SLPs. Speech and language disorders can also affect older adults, and with the aging population, there is an increased need for SLPs in healthcare settings such as hospitals and long-term care facilities. All this is to say, many parents miss the signs of speech & language delay in their children due to a lack of knowledge or an inability to get access to trained professionals who specialize in pediatric speech therapy. That is why PenguinSmart has created the following guide to help you take the first steps in identifying signs of speech delay and finding help for your child.

Here are some quick ways to check if your child has signs of speech delay:

By birth to 5 months, your child should have been:

• Vocalizing with cooing sounds.
• Expressing pleasure and displeasure through various sounds like laughter, giggles, cries, or fussing.
• Responding with sounds when talked to.

From 6 to 11 months, your child should:

• Begin to comprehend the concept of "no-no."
• Engage in babbling, saying syllables like "ba-ba-ba."
• Utter "ma-ma" or "da-da" without specific meaning.
• Try to communicate using actions or gestures.
• Make attempts to imitate sounds.
• Utter their first meaningful word.

Between 12 and 17 months, a child should:

• Respond nonverbally to simple questions.
• Use 2 to 3 words to name a person or object, though pronunciation may not be clear.
• Make an effort to mimic simple words.
• Expand vocabulary to about four to six words.

Between 18 and 23 months, kids should start to:

• Possess a vocabulary of approximately 50 words, often with unclear pronunciation.
• Request common foods by name.
• Mimic animal sounds like "moo."
• Combine words, e.g., "more milk."
• Use pronouns like "mine."
• Form 2-word phrases.

From 2 to 3 years, kids should:

• Understand spatial concepts such as "in" or "on."
• Recognize pronouns like "you," "me," or "her."
• Grasp descriptive words like "big" or "happy."
• Construct 3-word sentences.
• Become more accurate in speech but may still omit ending sounds. Strangers can generally understand the child's speech.
• Respond to simple questions.
• Initiate the use of more pronouns like "you" or "I."
• Utilize question inflection to request things, e.g., "My ball?"
• Begin incorporating plurals, like "shoes" or "socks," and regular past tense verbs, such as "jumped."

From 3 to 4 years, kids should normally be able to:

• Group objects by category, like foods or clothes.
• Identify colors.
• Utilize most speech sounds but may mispronounce challenging sounds like l, r, s, sh, ch, y, v, z, and th. Full mastery of these sounds may occur around ages 7-8.
• Apply consonants at the beginning, middle, and end of words, even if some challenging consonants are imperfectly articulated.
• Be generally understandable to strangers.
• Describe the purpose of objects, such as a "fork" or "car."
• Enjoy language play, including poetry and understanding linguistic humor.
• Express ideas and emotions rather than merely describing the world.
• Incorporate verbs ending in "ing," e.g., "walking" or "talking."
• Answer basic questions like "What do you do when you're hungry?"
• Repeat sentences.

Between 4 and 5 years, kids can:

• Grasp spatial concepts like "behind" or "next to."
• Understand complex questions.
• Be generally understandable but may involve mispronunciations in long, challenging, or complex words, such as "hippopotamus."
• Use some irregular past tense verbs like "ran" or "fell."
• Describe how to perform tasks, such as painting a picture.
• List items belonging to categories like animals or vehicles.
• Respond to "why" questions.

At 5 years old, kids normally can:

• Comprehend time sequences, such as the order of events.
• Follow a series of three instructions.
• Recognize rhyming words.
• Engage in conversations.
• Construct sentences with eight or more words.
• Form compound and complex sentences.
• Provide descriptions of objects.
• Utilize imagination to craft stories.

Should I be worried, and what should I do next?

If you notice any signs of speech delay or setbacks in your child's development, don't hesitate to seek assistance early. This helps your child overcome challenges sooner and maximize their learning potential during this crucial phase. During the early years of life, particularly in infancy and early childhood, the brain exhibits the highest level of plasticity. This means that the brain is highly receptive to new experiences, learning, and forming neural connections.

While learning and adaptation can occur at any age, it becomes progressively more challenging to establish new neural pathways and modify existing ones, and there is plenty of research that demonstrates starting early is incredibly impactful. A 2022 research paper by Brooklynn Schelling at Augustana College quoted a study that showed that delayed children who received early intervention (which by definition, happens before age 3) with an SLP achieved average speech and language scores by age 5. Examining long-term outcomes may establish the importance of early intervention even more. Another study found that many delayed individuals who received early intervention had language, reading, and writing scores within the normal range at age 17, even though they discontinued intervention.

It's important to note that nearly 1 in 12 children in the United States is diagnosed with a speech or voice-related disorder, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Signs of speech delay should not be seen as embarrassing; they simply mean your child has specific learning needs, and we can help identify and address them.

Speech delays versus autism

It's important to note that a speech delay and autism are two distinct issues, and they can occur independently of each other. While speech delays can be one of the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), not all children with signs of speech delay have autism, and not all children with autism have signs of speech delay (although they might have other communication difficulties). Here are some key differences between the two:

Speech Delay:

• Speech delays involve a child's difficulty in developing speech and language skills at the expected rate for their age. This means that the child is not acquiring spoken language skills within the typical developmental time frame.
• Children with speech delays may exhibit difficulties in articulating sounds, forming words and sentences, and understanding and using language appropriately.
• Speech delays can result from various factors, including environmental factors, hearing impairments, or developmental disorders other than autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):

• Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a range of social, communication, and behavioral challenges. Speech and language difficulties are just one aspect of autismChildren with autism may display difficulties with social interaction, such as limited eye contact, difficulties in forming relationships, and challenges in understanding and responding to social cues.
• Communication difficulties in autism can manifest as delayed speech development, echolalia (repeating words or phrases), atypical use of language, and difficulty with nonverbal communication (e.g., gestures, facial expressions).

To determine whether a child has a speech delay or autism, it is essential to consult with healthcare professionals and specialists, such as pediatricians, speech-language pathologists, and developmental pediatricians. They can conduct assessments and evaluations to understand the child's specific challenges and needs. Early intervention is crucial for addressing speech delays and providing support to children with autism or other developmental conditions.

Contact us if you see signs of speech delay

Is your child not hitting these milestones? Join us on a journey to nurture your child's speech and language development. Every child is unique, and while their progress may vary, with PenguinSmart's tailored support, they can achieve remarkable results.

PenguinSmart's commitment to childhood speech and language development goes beyond traditional approaches. Our programs actively involve parents in their child's journey, ensuring enduring and impressive progress. Through the seamless integration of effective communication techniques into daily life, we've seen children who are exhibiting signs of speech delay make incredible strides in their speech and language development.