Communication milestones:
Infants and early years
Parents should be aware of their child's speech and language development from birth, as early identification and intervention can greatly improve outcomes for children with speech and language difficulties. Some general milestones that parents can look for include:
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By 12 months, a child will typically be babbling, using gestures to communicate, and responding to their own name.
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By 18 months, a child will typically be using words for things in their world like ‘milk’, ‘dog’ or ‘ball’ and they will follow simple instructions.
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By 2 years old, a child will typically be using 2-word phrases, asking simple questions, and pointing to body parts.
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By 3 years old, a child will typically be using 3-4 word sentences, telling simple stories, and following more complex instructions
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It's important to keep in mind that all children develop at their own pace, but if a parent notices their child is significantly behind in these milestones, they may want to consider seeking advice from a professional Speech & Language Therapist or other healthcare professional.
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Begins to babble
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Responds to familiar sounds and voices
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Starts to recognise their name
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Uses gestures such as waving, pointing, and reaching to communicate
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There are many fun and simple activities that you can do at home to promote speech and language development;
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Play games like peek-a-boo, chase or tickles to encourage social interaction
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Encourage vocalisations by talking to your child frequently, making eye contact, and responding to their sounds
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Comment and reduce the amount of questions
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Model lots of core vocabulary and verbs (e.g. doing words)
Communication milestones:
Toddlers and young children
Parents and school staff are uniquely placed to monitor a child’s communication development. It is important to remember all children develop at their own pace but if you are concerned around a child’s communication development you should seek advice from a registered Speech and Language Therapist. Here are some general developmental milestones which parents and school staff can look out for:
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By 4 years old a child will typically be able to respond to simple ‘wh’ questions and they will be able to speak about past or future events.
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By 5 years old a child will typically be marking tense (e.g. -ed) and using mature sentence structures containing conjunctions (e.g. because)
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By 8 years old a child will typically be using more complex grammar and their speech will be clear, with no speech sound substitutions.
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By 10 years old a young person will typically be able to have conversations covering a wide range of topics and will be able to understand complex instructions/explanations.
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Uses sentences with 4 or more words
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Tells stories with a beginning, middle and end
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Follows instructions with 3-4 steps
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Speaks clearly enough to be understood by strangers
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There are many fun and simple activities that you can do at home to promote speech and language development;
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Ask your child to retell a story/event that happened to them
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Ask your child to tidy up their toys and group them into categories such as animals/food/ transport etc.
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Model correct speech sound production
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Describe different sounds as long/short/quiet/loud etc.
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Play games that require following multiple-step directions, such as "Simon Says"
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Encourage your child to play with others and engage in conversation
Communication milestones:
Teenagers and young adults
Parents and school staff are uniquely placed to monitor a child’s communication development. It is important to remember all children develop at their own pace but if you are concerned around a child’s communication development you should seek advice from a registered Speech and Language Therapist. Here are some general developmental milestones which parents and school staff can look out for:
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By 13 years old a young person will typically be able to use and understand figurative language, use abstract language to express an idea and will speak about an event in a coherent, well-organised way.
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By 18 years old a young person will typically be able to use and understand complex and advanced language with a wide range of vocabulary. They should be able to express opinions and on a wide range of topics and debates or present information in a coherent manner.
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Uses advanced grammar such as conditional and subjunctive mood
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Can discuss and debate on a range of topics
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Can understand and use figurative language
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Can speak about an event in a coherent, well-organised way and can summarise the main details
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There are many fun and simple activities that you can do at home to promote speech and language development;
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Have your child participate in discussions on a range of topics
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Encourage your child to read and summarise articles or texts they find interesting
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Play games that require critical thinking and problem-solving, such as "Cluedo" or "Mastermind"
What is Speech Therapy and how is it delivered?
The process of delivering speech and language therapy involve assessing, diagnosing, and treating speech, language and communication difficulties. Here are some of the key aspects of speech therapy:
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Assessment: The first step is to assess a child's speech and language skills to identify any difficulties. This may involve standardised tests, informal observation, consultation with parents, teachers, other professionals and analysis of the child's speech and language abilities in various contexts.
Diagnosis: Based on the assessment, the speech therapist will be able to determine a diagnosis and the nature of difficulties the child is experiencing.
Goals: Based on the assessment, the speech therapist will develop specific goals for the child's speech and language development. These goals will be tailored to the child's individual needs and may address areas such as articulation, language, comprehension, vocabulary, and social communication skills.
Intervention: The speech therapist will use various techniques and strategies to help the child achieve their goals. This may involve direct, regular, one-to-one sessions or an indirect approach may be taken instead. The approach to intervention will depend on the child’s needs and goals.
Parent/Caregiver Involvement: Parents and caregivers play an important role in supporting the child's speech and language development. Speech therapists may provide guidance and support to parents on how to incorporate speech and language activities into the child's daily routine and how to reinforce the skills learned in therapy sessions.
Collaboration with other professionals: Speech therapists will work collaboratively with other professionals, such as teachers, to support the child's communication and progress.
Progress Monitoring: Regular progress monitoring is essential to track the child's progress and modify the therapy plan as needed. The speech therapist will regularly assess the child's progress towards their goals and adjust the intervention plan accordingly.
Follow-Up: Once the child has achieved their goals or made significant progress, the speech therapist may recommend periodic follow-up sessions if there continues to be some residual errors to ensure that the child's speech and language skills continue to develop and strengthen over time, or it may be advised that the case is closed, particularly if there are no longer concerns around the child’s communication.
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Overall, speech therapy is a collaborative process that aims to support children in developing effective and functional communication skills.
Fundamentals Speech and Language Therapy covers many areas of speech, language and communication difficulties. Below are some common areas that Fundamentals can support children with. If your child's particular difficulty is not listed, please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss.
A child may have unclear speech which is difficult to understand. Speech sound errors can be due to articulation difficulties when the child is unable to produce certain sounds or has difficulty planning and coordinating the movements needed to produce speech sounds. Errors can also be phonological where the child has trouble understanding or producing the sound patterns that make up words. For example, they may be able to say ‘g’ on it’s own but substitute it to ‘d’ in a word, e.g. ‘dod’ for 'dog'.