I remember when my daughter was born. She came out screaming and from that day forward, never stopped communicating. By six months of age, she was babbling and saying several words. However, my best friend also had a baby girl the same age who said nothing. I just figured my daughter was more outgoing but when going through a follow-up with my baby’s pediatrician, I asked if my child was normal. I discovered that some babies have delayed language, which could be associated with a number of things.
For starters, some babies will simply talk later in life than other babies do. For this reason, many pediatricians will wait for a few months before they refer the parents to a speech specialist. On the other hand, a number of pediatricians are now suggesting the child see a specialist at the first sign of language delay. The bottom line is that you will need to determine the appropriate course of action for your child but one thing you might take note of is if your baby appears frustrated.
Often, the child will become irritated and agitated, wanting to speak but not being able to. In this case, you can save your child unnecessary frustration by having his or her language evaluated. Keep in mind that while delayed language may simply be a matter of the mouth catching up with the brain, it could also be due to hearing impairments. Obviously, the sooner you can have your child checked the sooner the right decision for treatment can be made.
Typically, a one-year-old child will have the ability to speak full, intelligible words. If you notice your child making sounds or using baby talk in place of actual words, it could be a warning of delayed language. Most of the time, the child understands perfectly well but being able to communicate thoughts is what is so difficult. A good rule to follow is that between the ages of six and nine months, your child should be trying to form common words such as “mama” or “dada”. Then between nine and twelve months, he/she should start taking those partial words and turning them into actual words. For instance, “mama” would not become “mommy”.
Around age twelve months to about two years, again, your child should be saying intelligible words, not just babble. If you notice around 18 months of age that your child is not learning new words or speaking between 40 and 60 full words, he or she might have an issue with delayed language. Additionally, a child around age three should be capable of putting three-word sentences together. Therefore, if you find your child is falling behind, do not panic, but have him or her checked to make sure there are no underlying problems specific to delayed language.