Children can have trouble with speech, language, or both.
Students with speech or language disorders may receive therapy from an SLP, or speech-language pathologist.
Birth–3 months | Not smiling or playing with others |
4–7 months | Not babbling |
7–12 months | Making only a few sounds. Not using gestures, like waving or pointing. |
7 months–2 years | Not understanding what others say |
12–18 months | Saying only a few words |
1½–2 years | Not putting two words together |
2 years | Saying fewer than 50 words |
2–3 years | Having trouble playing and talking with other children |
2½–3 years | Having problems with early reading and writing. For example, your child may not like to draw or look at books. |
1–2 years | Not saying p, b, m, h, and w the right way in words most of the time |
2–3 years | Not saying k, g, f, t, d, and n the right way in words most of the time. Being hard to understand, even to people who know the child well. |
It is normal for young children to say some sounds the wrong way. Some sounds do not develop until a child is 4, 5, or 6 years old.
Most of us pause or repeat a sound or word when we speak. When this happens a lot, the person may stutter. Young children may stutter for a little while. This is normal and will go away over time. Signs that stuttering might not stop include:
2½–3 years |
Having a lot of trouble saying sounds or words Repeating the first sounds of words, like “b-b-b-ball” for “ball” Pausing a lot while talking Stretching sounds out, like “fffffarm” for “farm” |
You can read more information about speech and language disorders from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association here.