If all of your friends toddlers are babbling away and your toddler is not talking yet you may have reason to become concerned. One of the things parents often use to gauge their child’s development is how early they start talking. Babies start off experimenting with noises from an early age, usually consisting of babbling noises, the typical “goo goo” and “gaa gaa” sounds, these will turn into “ma ma” and “da da”. These babbling sounds eventually progress into Mommy and Daddy. So how do you determine whether your child has delayed speech development and what do you do if your toddler is not talking yet?

On a daily basis your child will find different ways to shape their mouth and change the noise they are making; the first step in their speech development. Parents naturally spend a great deal of time talking to their baby’s but they do this instinctually and mostly to enjoy the social interaction it offers. Many don’t realize that this is also essential for the development of their speech and language skills.  

Babies recognize the sound of their parent’s voices from even before birth; they become familiar with us when they are in the womb. Parent’s voices are comforting for them, especially for newborns before their vision is fully developed. Babies and toddlers mimic their parents; that’s how they learn. The more verbal communication you engage in with your child, the faster they will learn.

By the time your child is the age of twelve to eighteen months your baby should be saying words like Mommy and Daddy. Over the next year of your child’s speech development, they will learn to put together small sentences and communicate their needs to their family members. By the age of 21 months most children can be understood by their family. If your child cannot communicate with family members and be understood by the age of 30 months there would be cause for concern. At any stage, if your child is not meeting the age appropriate developmental timelines you should seek professional opinion. Trust your instincts, more often than not parents know best.

If your toddler isn’t talking yet there are things you can do to encourage speech development. Keyword signing, otherwise known as  Baby Sign Language has been shown by researchers to increase language acquisition by up to 3 months. Children using sign language have the language re-enforced to them by the parent as the gestures are used in conjunction with the word. Parent’s who use sign language with their children are often more aware of their communication with their baby’s and flood them with language on a daily basis.

Gesture based baby sign language also improves word comprehension as the gesture is a natural movement that mimics the meaning of the word. Reading to your child is another important strategy that will go a long way to improving your child’s language skills. When they are exposed to reading at an early age they pick up on the way language ebbs and flows and are more likely to have an interest in books later on.

So if you are concerned that your toddler is not talking yet, assess the developmental timeline as make sure they are reaching the recommended milestones. Not all babies develop at the same rate and the normal range can differ by months. If you are looking for ways to encourage speech development because your toddler is not talking yet, keyword signing and reading are both great places to start.

Teaching a simple keyword based communication tool such as Baby Sign Language can help to accelerate your child’s speech comprehension and development. More importantly it can also provide an invaluable head start if you find out later that they suffer from a speech delay. For more information visit Toddler Interpreter.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.

Baby Sign Language for premature babies could prove to be very beneficial as they are in a higher risk category for developing a speech delay.

Baby Signing involves using keyword signs to engage in two way communication with pre-verbal babies. The experts believe that it enhances speech development if used in conjunction with the spoken word. Although many parents are using it for the enjoyment it provides, there could well be added benefit for those who are already at a developmental disadvantage.

Baby Sign Language is being used worldwide to communicate with hearing babies before they can speak. Researchers have shown that using gestures with the spoken word enhances the speech development of the child. This doesn’t mean that it is a program to create super babies; it simply provides them with a good foundation for early learning.

Language development is essential for developing appropriate social skills. If a child is particularly at risk of suffering from a speech delay they may benefit from having a supplementary communication tool such as baby signing.

Using baby signs with premature babies can help to bridge the communication gap while they are still pre-verbal. It could be particularly useful in premature babies as they follow slightly delayed developmental milestones due to their early entry into the world. Premature babies are generally assessed developmentally against an adjusted age. But when premature babies are compared to other babies by their chronological age, they may be slightly disadvantaged with their speech development. When this is the case, baby signing could be used to accelerate the learning process and enhance their communication abilities, allowing them to interact socially and appropriately with children in the same chronological age group.

Baby Sign Language for premature babies should always be used with the spoken word and should never replace the need to speak the associated word. When teaching babies to sign it is important to emphasize the word that is being signed by saying it over and over. It is this close interaction with the parent that is thought to enhance the speech development more so than the use of the baby signs themselves. Children who are at higher risk of developing a speech delay will gain the most benefit from this positive interaction involving extensive use of the spoken language. As the child is able to sign back to the adult and establish two way communications for the first time, they are likely to understand the value and reward of being understood. This is a time to encourage and praise your child so that you perpetuate the benefits and enhance their progress.

Premature babies and other babies that are at an increased risk of developing a speech delay can enjoy the benefits of baby sign language by incorporating a few simple signs into their daily routine. Baby signing for premature babies is easy to teach, you could even start today.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart  available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.

If you suspect that your child is showing signs of a speech delay it is worth further investigation so that appropriate intervention can be sought as early as possible.

Almost one in twenty adults suffers from some sort of speech or language disorder. If diagnosed and corrected before the child reaches school age, it will have less impact on their overall intellectual development.

Normal speech development begins with the newborn as they discover that they can use their mouths to produce an array of soft sounds. This later develops into babble and by the age of 12 months most babies will be able to say ‘ma’ and ‘da’ or even the occasional word. Each baby has their own unique developmental timeline and an individual’s schedule could be brought forward or delayed by weeks or even months for no apparent reason. As a parent you should always trust your instincts. If something with your baby’s development doesn’t seem quite right you should always seek medical advice.

Brain damage can be attributed as the main interfering condition associated with speech delay and it is usually associated with an intellectual disability or cerebral palsy. Hearing problems or cleft palate are physical disabilities that may hinder the ability to articulate. Speech delay is also an indication of undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder.

Early warning signs of speech delay include not responding to sounds by 2 months, lack of interest in toys or people by age of four months, lack of vocalization or babbling by the age of ten months and inability to speak any words by the age of twenty-one months. By the age of thirty months, the baby should be able to be understood by most members of the immediate family. If these milestones are missed it could be a sign of speech delay.

If you suspect your baby is showing signs of a speech delay you should firstly exclude the possibility of a hearing impairment by having a hearing test performed. Consult a pediatrician to check whether your baby’s developmental milestones are within the normal range. Discuss the potential for medical conditions that may cause speech delay such as cerebral palsy or autism spectrum disorder.

Many problems associated with speech development can be corrected with appropriate intervention. Some speech impediments can be corrected with speech therapy. Signs of speech delay could be an early indication that other intellectual or physical disabilities so you should consult your medical professional as soon as possible to rule this out.

Toddler Interpreter teach Baby Signs and they offer the best Free Baby Sign Language Chart available online and their Baby Sign Language Book is used by parents and childcare centres in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to Teach Baby Sign Language. Sign Language for Babies is easy using Toddler Interpreter’s comprehensive Baby Sign Language Dictionary. Sign Language for Toddlers can help reduce frustration and Baby Sign Language has proved very beneficial for Premature Babies, children with Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome and other babies at risk of developing a speech delay.