Language development is characterized by a great deal of variation. For a substantial group of children, there is such a delay in the development of speech and language that we speak of developmental language disorders (DLDs). Children with specific language impairment are diagnosed as exhibiting a significant deficit in the production and/or comprehension of language that cannot be explained by general cognitive impairment, sensorimotor deficits, frank neurological disorder, psychiatric diagnosis, or a general lack of exposure to language.
The nature of SLI are tested in the domains of auditory perception, speech output, lexicon, morphology, syntax, and pragmatics. The question is how children’s linguistic environment can be restructured in such a way that children at risk will not have years of failure and can develop important adaptive skills in the domains of self-care, social interaction, learning, and problem-solving.
Initial 3 years of life, the brain is still in the developing and maturing phase and an intensive period of acquiring speech, language, gross, and fine motor skills.
Parents - Maintain Checklist for Development Milestones:
The first signs of communication occur when an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and companionship. Newborns also begin to recognize important sounds in their environment, such as the voice of their mother or primary caretaker. As they grow, babies begin to sort out the speech sounds that compose the words of their language. By 6 months of age, most babies recognize the basic sounds of their native language.
Children vary in their development of speech and language skills. However, they follow a natural progression or timetable for mastering the skills of language. A checklist of milestones for the normal development of speech and language skills in children from birth to 5 years of age is included below. These milestones help doctors and other health professionals determine if a child is on track or if he or she may need extra help. Sometimes a delay may be caused by hearing loss, while other times it may be due to a speech or language disorder.
What should a parent do if a child’s speech or language appears to be delayed?
Talk to your Paediatrician, Clinical Psychologist for the Developmental Milestones Assessment, if you have any concerns. Further, your doctor may refer you to a speech-language pathologist, who is a health professional trained to evaluate and treat people with speech or language disorders and further therapeutic treatment.
5 typical language development indicators:
Smiles and interacts with others (birth–3 months).
Babbles (4–7 months) and makes both short and long groups of sounds (7-12 months).
Understands what others are saying and follows simple commands (7 months–2 years)
Uses 2-3 word sentences to talk about and ask for things (2½–3 years).
Names letters and numbers and is able to hold a longer conversation (4-5 years).
Hearing and communicative development checklist is also provided online and also can take the help of your doctor to understand at each age, the child is supposed to attain the milestones.
Do not neglect as early intervention helps for a better prognosis.
I hope this article is helpful for you.
For further help, please approach a Clinical Psychologist to get expert help.
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Sailaja Pisapati
Consultant - Clinical Psychologist
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