Speech and language development are some of the earliest milestones in a child’s life. When a child points to their favorite toy or shares their first word with loved ones, parents recount these early moments for decades. When a child experiences speech and language delays in their formative months it can be a challenging and stressful time for their parents. Early signs of delayed verbal behavior can be signs of ASD or other developmental delays. Luckily, there are numerous signs and developmental milestones for parents, physicians, and clinicians to watch as a child grows. The aba|tools program helps children with autism grow through speech delays with the ease and convenience of a smartphone app. Learn more by contacting us online.
What Are Language Development Milestones?
Milestones are a standard benchmark for a child’s development marked by months of age. For example, children usually begin to point and wave by 12 months and vocalize by 18 months. While every child is unique in their own development and expression, milestones allow doctors and parents a guide to assess a child’s development and catch speech and language delays early in life. By monitoring milestones in the first 24 months of life, children with abnormal verbal behavior and speech delays can begin early intervention programs in their formative years. Some milestones include:
- At 18 months, children express themselves vocally as well as gesture.
- At 24 months, children produce their own phrases.
- At 24 months, children follow simple directions
- At 24 months, children use a varied tone of voice when expressing themselves.
These are only a few milestones tracked by pediatricians and clinicians throughout the first years of a child’s life to determine speech delays and abnormal verbal behavior. If you suspect your child isn’t meeting their milestones on time, consult your pediatrician for further guidance. Doctors will commonly provide questionnaires for parents to track their child’s daily behavior as well as taking time to interact with the child. Often, pediatricians will refer children with suspected speech and language delays to a speech pathologist for hearing tests and further diagnostics of their receptive (listening) and expressive (speaking) abilities.
3 Early Signs of Speech Delays
The earlier delays in receptive language development are noticed, the sooner a child can begin early intervention programs such as speech therapy. Studies show early intervention can greatly impact a child’s future and move children with some types of autism spectrum disorder off the spectrum in adulthood. Here are three key signs of speech delays to look for in the first 12-18 months of a child’s life:
- A child does not respond to their name when called or look where a parent or caretaker is pointing as they speak.
- A child does not wave goodbye.
- A child does not say at least one word or babble with a variation in their voice.
Language delays are only some signs of autism and other developmental delays. These delays may also be due to problems with hearing or cognition. With the help of a pediatrician and other clinicians, parents can find the applied behavior analysis support they need to help their child build stronger speech and language skills early in life.
Register for aba|tools for More Information
While understanding and helping a young child with language delays can be overwhelming, there are tools to help every parent meet their child’s needs. The aba|tools Verbal Matrix® was designed by a BCBA clinician to help families assist their children experiencing autism-related speech delays and monitor verbal behavior. Ideal for children of all ages, our app uses a library of online ABA flashcards to help children increase their language learning and verbal processing all from the comfort of home. To begin your child’s language development journey from a smartphone or tablet, register for aba|tools today.