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.

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.

Imagine a world without speech; where you knew exactly what you wanted but had no way of expressing these needs to the people around you. This is the reality for our babies and toddlers before they learn to talk. They suffer the limitations of a world without speech. By 6 months of age they know exactly what they want but have no means of communicating this to you. There is no wonder they become frustrated. Even when they do begin to talk, it is some time before they are able to get their little mouths around all the words that they will need to express themselves effectively. Baby Sign Language can help to ease this frustration by providing a means of communication to bridge the gap.

Baby Sign Language is based on ‘keyword signing’ and involves the use of simple gestures for words that are important to the baby. Each gesture is to be used with repetition of the associated spoken word making babies more interested in the meaning of keywords from an earlier age. It should never replace the need for the spoken word.

Baby Sign Language is becoming increasingly popular. Many people won’t realise that its use is supported by over 30 years of research. Some people who do not recognise the long term benefits of signing with their hearing babies may be excused for thinking that it is a fad or the latest passing trend in modern parenting. However the research is clear and the parents already using Baby Sign Language are united. It is a very simple solution to a very frustrating problem.

Infants already use an extensive range of facial expressions and body language to communicate with their parents and Baby Sign Language is a natural extension of this behaviour. They squirm when they are uncomfortable; put their arms up to be picked up when you walk by and later they learn to point at things.

Babies are fascinated with movement, especially when the movement is performed by a parent. In the beginning the baby will associate the movement with the word. In the case of ‘milk’, this association is made easily as they are rewarded with their favourite comfort and associate this with the gesture. This ties it all together; the use of the gesture and the spoken word followed through with the actual item.

The first step is having them understand what you are signing to them. It is suggested that you only use one sign such as the sign for ‘milk’ at this early stage so they don’t become confused. You can begin this as early as 3-4 months of age. With the sign for ‘milk’ it is easy to recognise that you have been understood when they go into flapping frenzy and get excited. By about 8-9 months of age they will be able to ask for ‘milk’ by replicating the sign. As a parent this is just as exciting as any other milestone they reach. Once they are able to sign back to you, slowly introduce another sign or two until you develop a vocabulary for all the important things you would like to communicate.

Growth and brain development during these early years, especially the first 2 years is more rapid than at any other stage of a child’s life. One of the most crucial milestones in a child’s development is the development of their social skills and the ability to interact appropriately with others. The basis for appropriate social interaction is effective communication. The benefits of Baby Sign Language also include earlier communication, reduced frustration, increased language comprehension and further opportunities for bonding between parent and baby.

Teaching Baby Sign Language also teaches your child that there is more to communication and social interaction than just words. Effective communication does involve hand gestures, body movements and facial expression. Being a visual language it is fascinating to children as it stimulates their curiosity and attentiveness towards further communication.

Some parents express concern that using Sign Language may inhibit the speech development of their child. There is no cause for concern however; because you are using ‘keyword signing’ you are enhancing the comprehension of the word not replacing the need for spoken language. It is very important that you continue to use the spoken word with the gestures to enhance the speech development. National Institute of Health funded research demonstrated that babies who were using Baby Sign Language were able to communicate with spoken language 3 months earlier than babies who were not. Even more astounding was the fact that these same children went on to develop language comprehension skills that were 12 months ahead of their peers by the time they reached school age.  The easiest way of teaching toddlers to talk is using Baby Sign Language from a very early age.

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.