Many families seek early intervention for concerns about their child’s speech. Delays in language are the most common type of developmental delay. A child’s first three years are the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. These skills develop best in an environment filled with a variety of sights, sounds and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others.
An infant’s brain actually responds best to a type of speech known as “parentese,” which adults naturally use when talking to babies. This type of speaking uses short, simple sentences, prolonged vowel sounds, more inflection in the voice, and a higher pitch than speech used to talk to other adults. The development of language is tremendously influenced by parent-child interactions. It is important to talk, sing, and read to a baby often so the child can learn the sounds of his/her native language.
Hearing two languages spoken at home is a real advantage to a child. If a baby hears two languages from birth, he or she will maintain the ability to hear the sounds of both and be able to speak each language with the accent of a native speaker. It is helpful if the child hears the same language from someone who is a native speaker. The child may mix the languages initially in their own speech, but it will typically get sorted out by age 3.
Delays in speech and language can stem from a variety of reasons. Although the two are frequently referred to together, there are some differences between speech and language delay. Speech is the physical act of producing sounds and saying words. A toddler with a speech delay may try but have trouble forming the correct sounds to make words. A language delay involves understanding and communicating, both verbally and nonverbally.
A toddler with a language delay might be late to start using words or gestures (e.g., pointing, waving bye-bye). They may not respond to their names or basic, routine directions (e.g., get your shoes). Children can have a speech delay or a language delay, and the two conditions can sometimes overlap. For example, a child may have oral-motor problems (difficulty controlling speech muscles) and repeated ear infections resulting in a delay in speech and expressive language. If you notice signs like these, working with a speech-language pathologist (SLP) through your early intervention (EI) program can help your child build foundational speech skills.
The EI Clearinghouse (EIC) has many resources in Spanish and English on speech and language delays for families and providers. Check out the EIC article Encouraging Language Development with Simple Signs or resource guides Speech Language Resources, Resources for Speech Language Pathologists, and Language Development in Young Children. The Clearinghouse also provides tip sheets on Everday Early Intervention: Encouraging Speech Development and How I Communicate which provide helpful tips for communication with your little one and important milestones to be aware of as your child progresses. The Clearinghouse library also offers Speech kits in Spanish & English, each kit includes two books for caregivers with information and activities to promote communication skills and two books to be shared with children to encourage shared communication and relationship building. Check out the blog post here to see each kit and request one from the library to share with your family.
No matter where you are on your journey, the EIC has easy-to-use, helpful tools to support your child’s communication and growth—take a look and get started today!