Speech and Language Development

Routine Checkups

Regularly scheduled checkups begin shortly after birth and last through the teen years. They are often called well-child visits.

These visits let your doctor keep a close watch on your child's general health and development. Finding possible problems early gives your child the best chance for proper and successful treatment. Also, any concerns you have about your child can be discussed at these visits.

During the visits, the doctor examines your child. The doctor also asks you questions about your child's development and behavior. And immunizations and screenings are either given or scheduled at this time.

Your child's doctor will recommend a schedule for well-child visits. One example is to have visits at ages:

• 3 to 5 days old.
• 1 month.
• 2 months.
• 4 months.
• 6 months.
• 9 months.
• 1 year.
• 15 months.
• 18 months.
• 2 years.
• 30 months.
• 3 years.

After age 3, well-child visits are usually scheduled yearly through the teen years.

Checking for speech and language delays

Mild and temporary speech delays can happen. And some children learn to communicate faster than others do.

Your doctor will check your child's language and communication skills during regular well-child visits. But call your doctor anytime you have concerns about how your child is developing. A child can overcome many language and communication problems with treatment, especially when you catch problems early.

Screening for hearing problems

Almost all 50 states require newborn hearing tests for all babies born in hospitals. Hearing should be checked by a doctor at each well-child visit and anytime you or your child may notice changes. Some hearing problems can delay your child's speech and language development. Be sure your child has regular hearing exams.

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When to Call a Doctor

Call your doctor anytime you or another caregiver has concerns about your child's speech and language development. Be aware of signs that point to a possible developmental delay, such as when your child does not make sounds that are expected for your child's age.

Your doctor will do a physical exam and ask questions about your child's medical history. This information can help your doctor identify developmental patterns and assess whether any other conditions, such as hearing loss, are interfering with development.

Your doctor may also recommend other tests to:

• Rule out other conditions. For example, hearing tests done by an audiologist may be recommended to rule out hearing loss.
• Assess speech and language developmental progress. Questionnaires and evaluations by a speech-language pathologist can help define where your child's abilities are in relation to other children of the same age.
• Find out whether other problems, such as behavioral difficulties or developmental delays in other areas, are also occurring.

Building Skills at Home

To help your child develop speech and language skills, make sure to talk and read to your baby. Later, encourage conversation with your child. The size of a 2-year-old's vocabulary is directly related to how much parents and other caregivers have spoken to that child since the child was born.

Newborn babies are programmed to learn. And parents are naturally excellent language teachers. The kinds of interactions and conversations parents normally have with their children, from "baby talk" to repeating words, are perfect language lessons. Talking, reading, listening, and responding to babies and young children usually are all that they need to help them learn to talk.

Teaching sign language to babies 6 months or older could also help them in several ways. Signing gives babies a way to express their wants and needs when they can't talk. And it gives you another way to bond with your child.

You can start to read to your baby from birth. Read to your child each day. Reading to your young child is a very important learning activity for several reasons. While reading, you and your child share a comforting closeness. You also both focus on the same picture and the same concept. Your child can ask you questions, and you can reinforce your child's observations. Reading gives children a chance to learn new words that they wouldn't normally hear in everyday conversation. If you often read to your child, you may help with their speech development. It may also help your child's later reading abilities and school performance.

If you have concerns about your own reading skills, seek out an adult reading program at your local library or public school system. You can also go to America's Literacy Directory at www.literacydirectory.org to find reading programs in your area.

Helping your baby, birth to age 1

These are some things you can do to help your baby develop speech and language.

• Talk, read, sing, and play with your baby. Interacting with your baby and sharing a loving environment will help make your baby more curious, build confidence, and help your baby get familiar with language. These traits will provide a strong foundation for speech and language development.
• Turn off the TV. When you play or read with your child, leave the TV off. Even a show playing in the background can distract you and your baby.

Helping your child, ages 1 to 2

There are things you can do to encourage and support your child's speech and language development.

• Involve your child in conversations.
• Talk about the names of favorite toys and other common objects around the house.
• Speak slowly and clearly, and praise your child's attempts to speak.
• Play or read together. To help your child's brain develop, play and read together instead of letting your child watch TV, watch movies, or play games on a screen.
• Leave the TV off. When you play or read with your child, leave the TV off. Even a show playing in the background can distract you and your child. For children younger than 18 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to avoid screen time.

Helping your child, ages 2 to 4

These are some things you can do to help your 2- to 4-year-old learn new words and say sentences.

• Encourage your child to talk to others. When you can, gently encourage your child to talk to others, including other children near the same age.
• Correct your child's speech in positive ways. When your child makes a language mistake, gently rephrase, repeat, or relabel.
• Read to your child every day.
• Set limits on TV and video viewing.

Helping your child, ages 3 to 5

The best way to help your child learn is to talk and read to your child. Doing these things will help your child learn language skills faster. Try these ideas:

• Read books to your child that tell stories with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Choose stories about your child's interests. Stories about facing fears and solving problems are also good.
• As you read, talk with your child about the story. Ask questions like "What's going to happen next?" and "Why do you think the character did that?"
• Listen to and talk with your child every day.
• Play games that require listening and following instructions.
• Speak clearly and correctly. Avoid "baby talk."

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