The worst thing a parent can do is compare their child to others. The subject of speech is one of those that receives the most comparisons and is that many parents are impatient at the first words of the baby.
In relation to language, doubts of all kinds arise, especially those related to the moment in which the little one should start talking and if there is to worry if it does not do it at a certain age.
Every child needs his time
Parents must be made clear that not all children are the same and everyone needs their time when it comes to learning the language. It is true that at a certain age all children should speak without any problem and if not, the little one could suffer a delay in the development of speech.
As a general rule, the baby should say his first words at one year of age. By 18 months, your toddler should have a vocabulary of about 100 words. Upon reaching the age of two, the vocabulary is considerably enriched and the child must already have more than 500 words when speaking. This is normal, although there may be children whose vocabulary is scarcer and with fewer words.
At what point may there be a problem in the child's speech
It may be that there is a certain delay in the language, when the child when reaching two years is not able to link two words. There are other signs that can alert you to serious language problems:
- At three years of age the child makes isolated sounds but he is unable to say certain words.
- Unable to link words to form sentences.
- It does not have the ability to pronounce and he is only capable of imitating.
- It is important to indicate to the parents that in most cases delays tend to normalize over the years.
How to stimulate language development in children
Professionals in the field advise following a series of guidelines that allow children to develop their language optimally and appropriately:
- It is good for parents to read to their children stories or books in a regular way.
- Say out loud the different actions to be carried out at home.
- Repeat words that are used on a day-to-day basis.
- It is advisable to dedicate some time to educational games in which language or speech have a primary role.
Ultimately, the subject of speech is one of those that usually worries parents the most. Seeing how other children are able to say their first words at an age and that your own child does not, makes many parents very nervous. Remember that each child needs their time, so you have to avoid comparisons. Many children are late when it comes to speaking, but over the years, their language becomes normal and they manage to speak without any problem.