Children's Communication Development

Children develop communication at varied rates, but averages or expected milestones allow us to evaluate a child's communication skills for potential delays and/or disorders.

In general, a child will say his or her first word by age one and will continue to increase their vocabulary extensively through the following years so that he or she has 50 words by 18 months and is putting two words together by two years. Initially, a child's vocabulary is made up largely of labels or nouns, but as their language progresses they will add verbs and adjectives.

Speech articulation, or how the child pronounces sounds and words also develops over time and with varied rates. The first sounds expected to be mastered include /b/, /p/, /t/ and /d/. Later sounds such as /s/, /r/ and /th/ are not expected to be mastered until the child is nearly 8 years old. Click here to view an illustration of expected age for speech development.

Children can have speech and language delays and/or disorders that are secondary to conditions such as illness or injury, genetic disorders or general delay. They can also have speech and/or language disorders that are isolated in that they are otherwise healthy and developing typically with their peers. Standardized tests can be used with children, some as young as two years old, to evaluate speech and language skills and weaknesses and determine if intervention is needed. For younger children, interviews with caregivers and professional observation can provide information to evaluate communication skills.

Click here for a list of Speech and Language Expectations by age.

Daycare Screenings

Family Speech and Language Services offers initial consultations free of charge. This allows parents of preschoolers to ensure their child's development is as expected for their age without investing financially in costly private assessments.

We believe it's important for all children to have their speech and language skills screened before entering primary. Ideally, this screening should happen at aged three or four to allow a couple of years for intervention should it be needed. Strong speech and language skills will maximize your child's opportunity to learn once they enter school.

Several local daycares have participated with Family Speech and Language Services to provide screenings to their children at the daycare. Parents are offered this service through a letter of information and sign a permission form to request a screening. Once the screening is completed, parents are provided a brief report outlining their child's performance and any recommendations being made.

If you are interested in this service as a daycare provider, please call the office at 405.3020.