The good news about developmentally delayed speech/language for a child is that the earlier a problem is detected and effectively treated, the better the outcomes are likely to be. If your child has delayed speech or language skills, we’d love to chat with you about how Therapy Care in Batavia can help with improving delayed speech/language problems.

What is Developmentally Delayed Speech/Language?

Most kids will hit certain speech milestones at roughly the same age. If a child fails to reach one of those milestones, it could possibly indicate developmentally delayed speech/language skills. Here are just a few of the most common speech/language milestones:

• 2 to 3 months – Baby should coo or smile in response to you, begin to imitate sounds and babble

• 6 months – Makes sounds to show joy or displeasure, begins saying consonant sounds (e.g., /m/, /b/), strings vowels together (e.g., “ah”, “eh”), turns head to look at new sounds

• 12 months – Tries to imitate words, uses simple gestures, 1 or 2 word vocabulary, points to objects

• 2 years – More than 50-word vocabulary, says simple phrases of 2-4 words

• 3 years – About a 1,000-word vocabulary, mastered basic rules of grammar, speaks in sentences of 5-6 words, strangers understand speech

• Just because a child misses one of these milestones doesn’t necessarily mean there is a developmental delay, but parents should talk with their pediatrician if they notice something.

Common Symptoms

If your child struggles to speak, has difficulty achieving the speech milestones listed above, or struggles to pronounce certain sounds properly (b, d, f, g, h, m, n, ng, t, w or y), then you’ll want to bring it to your pediatrician’s attention. Your primary pediatrician will work to diagnose the cause, if one is present.

If a baby is not communicating verbally at all by the age of 12 months, you should definitely contact your pediatrician.

Speech Therapy for Developmentally Delayed Speech/Language

At Therapy Care in Batavia, we understand how concerning it can be for parents when their child has delayed speech or language skills. We’re here to help!

Every speech therapy intervention and treatment will be tailored and customized to help your child improve their speech/language skills. We will work to help develop and improve their overall communication skills. 

As the parent, you will be involved in every step of the process.

Our speech therapy specialists will also help teach you, as the parent, on how to work with your child through at-home activities to improve their communication skills.

Ready to Get Started

If your child has been diagnosed with developmentally delayed speech/language, contact our office for a free consultation on how we can work together. Our goal is to improve your child’s speech/language skills to help them enjoy life to the fullest!