Pediatric Speech and Language

Children develop language skills at various rates and it is important to consider this wide range of normal speech and language development. Infants begin early communication through babbling. The first true words generally appear between the ages of 7 to 14 months. First words are usually related to the child’s world of things in events (names of people or toys). Children will continue to expand their expressive vocabulary at an ever increasing rate so that by 18 – 24 months two word phrases begin to emerge (daddy go?). Your child will understand significantly more words than are spoken. By the end of the second year, your child can point to an object or picture when it’s named and will recognize names of familiar people, objects, and body parts.

Children also develop speech sounds as they grow. They often follow patterns of sound development using processes that are typical development. These patterns or processes include sound or syllable substitutions, omissions, and additions. Most of these processes disappear between the ages of 2 ½ to 3 ½ and speech intelligibility significantly increases. Some processes can last to 5 years or older. Most children by age 3 can be understood by unfamiliar listeners.

If you suspect that your child has a speech or language delay, please discuss these concerns with your child’s pediatrician and request a referral to a certified speech-language pathologist. The Speech-Language Pathology Department at National Jewish can provide evaluation and treatment of a variety of speech/language, oral-motor, and swallowing disorders.

This information has been approved by Marcy Hicks, M.S., CCC-SLP (July 2006).