Although there can be a wide range of “normal” in speech development, it is advisable to intervene as quickly as possible.
Keep talking to your child all the time to expose him/her to a pool of rich words. Speak slowly, clearly and use good language while communicating with your baby.
Knowing the milestones of speech development will help you understand where does your baby stand and help you take the right decision.
What are the Milestones of Speech Development?
By 12 Months: He or she should say “mama”, “dada”, learn to recognise the names of common objects, and try to imitate words.
From 12–18 Months: Your baby should start saying one or more words like “ball”, “cup”, “toy”, etc.
From 18–24 Months: Your baby may use simple phrases and 2-4 word sentences such as “go to park”, “daddy come home soon”, etc.
From 2–3 Years: Your baby is expected to know how to combine 3 or more words into sentences and his or her vocabulary should considerably increase.
What can you do to Encourage Speaking?
Speech development depends a lot on the environment the child lives in and his or her inherent nature. In order to encourage your child to speak:1
Talk to your kid as much as possible and prompt him or her to say words after you.
Explain in words whatever you are doing. For example, say “mama is feeding you”, “daddy is reading to you”, etc.
Sing along with gestures and make your kid imitate you.
Read books to your kid starting as early as after 6 months. Allow him or her to point at pictures as you name them in the book. Read the signs on the road aloud and prompt your kid to repeat them.
If your child is not talking, don’t worry. With early help from your doctor and therapist, you will soon hear your child calling out loud ‘my mama!’
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