HELP! My child’s not talking.
Did you know that there are LOTS of things that we look for in a child BEFORE we even begin to count how many words they are or aren’t yet using?! 🤔
Some of these include:
✨ Do they look at you and others?
✨ Do they respond to their name?
✨ Are they trying to copy your sounds ?
✨ Do they initiate play and games with you?
✨ Are they making sounds or babble?
✨Do they gesture and use their body movements to send a message? (wave, point, clap, shake head)
These are some of the early communication behaviours that speech pathologists assess waaaaaay before we even begin to delve into words. These are the seeds that are needed to allow language to grow! 🌱
YES, first words are important as well as the types of words being used. But before we begin to start counting those words, or before you worry your child isn’t using enough, tune into some of the other ways they may be communicating to get a bit more of an idea about what else is going on. If you have concerns about your child’s speech or language, seek the opinion of a speech pathologist who can assess your child and give you some tips and strategies to help!
Lauren is a speech pathologist who has over 15 years experience working with children and teenagers who present with a range of learning and communication difficulties. Lauren is passionate about helping others and loves to find simple and creative ways to make learning fun! The blog posts featured on this site are written on behalf of Remindables and are intended for educational purposes only and to provide general information and an understanding on a particular topic. By using this blog site you must be aware that the information shown is not to be used as a substitute for therapy advice and you should therefore seek the opinion of suitable professionals to assist you. The views expressed here are the author’s views alone and not those of their employer or others, unless clearly stated. 