Every parent wants to ensure that they are raising a healthy child, free from danger, and able to participate in the world every bit as much as other children. However, there can be hiccups along the way, and some require attention to help them get over them. 

Speech milestones can be an important part of childhood development, and if your child isn’t reaching them as quickly as others, it can become a cause for concern. However, when should you be worried, and what should you do about it? Here, we’re going to look at some considerations to keep in mind if your child isn’t speaking as well as you think they should.

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Know the milestones to track

While you shouldn’t get overly focused on the exact days and ages that your child begins to pick up language and speech skills, you should get a good idea of the language development milestones that they can hit along the way. An idea of when they are developing late, or any milestones they have yet to hit can cause you to look for some help in guiding them further along the line.

Helping along the way

You don’t have to simply passively watch your child’s speech and language skills develop, there’s a lot that you can do to encourage it along the way as well. From an early age, singing to them, talking to them, and using gestures to help them better understand language concepts and phrases can be vital. As time goes on, reading becomes more important, and you can narrate everyday interactions and chores so that they can develop the links between language and concepts, too. Don’t jump in to correct grammatical or syntax errors, either, as this can make some children reluctant to keep trying.

Be aware of language disorders

Language developmental disorders can hold back some children, and they can affect many more children than you might think. It can be hard for the layperson to spot it, however. If your child isn’t meeting milestones, if they’re having trouble understanding gestures or naming objects, or if they have trouble following directions, learning new words, or understanding what you’re saying, then you might want to look at speech and language pathology consulting. A lot of children can get past these and live perfectly normal lives, it can just take some work to help them get there.

Are there underlying causes to be concerned with?

In some cases, language disorders are not the only thing that parents should be keeping an eye on. There are cases in which language disorders can be present alongside emotional or behavioral disorders, like ADHD, or anxiety, as well as developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder. As such, you might want to talk to your doctor about your child’s language issues to see if any further tests are necessary.

Every child is different, and some may need extra help, while others may come into it over time. It’s best to take an active role in helping them grow their language and speech abilities, however.