Children generally begin to speak their first words between 12 and 18 months of age. If he has not yet spoken simple words or formed two-word sentences after the age of two, he may experience what is called a speech delay. Come on, Moms, let's find out more about the signs and causes of children being late in talking and how to overcome them in this article.
Signs of Speech Delay in Children
Mothers, first of all, let's identify the signs of speech delays in children based on their age as a first step for early detection of their growth and development.
12 Months Old Cannot Babble or Imitate Sounds
Mothers, babies generally start babbling and trying to imitate sounds when they are between 4 and 6 months old with sounds like "papapa" or "mamama". When you reach the age of 12 months, your little one can understand simple instructions such as "bye" or "no", and can make sounds that are similar to words. If it has not shown this development, it could be an early indication of a speech delay or hearing problem.
To overcome this, mothers are advised to actively invite your little one to talk and often read story books to stimulate their language development. Apart from that, carrying out regular hearing tests is also important to ensure that there are no disorders that affect your little one's speaking ability. This approach can help speed up the development of your little one's speaking skills.
Mothers need to stimulate speech if your little one has not yet reached the stage of speech development according to his age. Come on, follow how to train your child's speech and language skills here: Train your little one's speaking skills according to their age.
18 Months Old Cannot Say One Word That Has Meaning
Most children can usually say about 10 words that have specific meanings, such as "mama", "dada", or "maem" by the age of 18 months. Your little one also begins to imitate the words they often hear every day and begins to understand the simple instructions given to them.
If you haven't reached this developmental milestone, there could be something you need to pay further attention to. Try inviting your little one to play games that require the use of words and following instructions. These games are not only entertaining, but also help develop their language skills.
If you are still worried about your little one's speech development, consulting a pediatrician could be a wise step. The doctor can provide further assessment and suggest interventions if necessary to support the development of his speech skills.
24 Month Old Has a Vocabulary of Less Than 50 Words
At the age of two years, your little one should ideally be able to say up to 300 words and use two to three words in one phrase. He has also begun to understand and use personal pronouns such as "me" or "me". If you still have a vocabulary of less than 50 words, this may indicate a barrier in language development.
To help overcome this, use educational toys and picture books that can stimulate your little one to talk more. Reading together and playing activities that involve learning new words will be very useful for enriching their vocabulary.
Mothers can consult with a pediatrician about the possibility of speech therapy. This therapy can really help your little one develop their speaking and language skills better.
Ages 30 Months to 3 Years Cannot Put Two Words Together
Your little one is able to put two words together to form a simple sentence such as "want milk" or "play ball" between the ages of 30 months and 3 years. He or she can also usually ask simple questions and understand more complex instructions in this phase. If you have not demonstrated this ability, there may be aspects of language development that need further attention.
One way to support your little one's language development is to involve them in simple daily conversations. Invite your little one to talk about the activities they are doing or will be doing. This helps them practice word usage and understand sentence structure.
Please carry out further evaluation with a pediatrician or child development expert if you still have difficulty forming words. This evaluation is important to determine steps that can help your little one develop their speaking and language skills.
For further information about how to deal with speech delays, come on, Mother, read the following article: Characteristics of Speech Delay in Children and How to Overcome It.
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