Child speech development stage

Stages of speech development in children can vary. However, most children tend to follow natural patterns in mastering language skills.

There are several stages of development that can be used as a general guide for parents to assess normal development for your child.

Stages of child speech development over time

Although each child develops with different speeds, there is a general pattern of speech development as follows:

• Age 1 to 3 months: Babies begin to cry and blabber.

• Age 4 to 6 months: Babies begin to sigh, make a growling sound, bubbling, screaming, laughing, and issuing various types of crying.

• Age 6 to 9 months: babies begin to blabber in syllables and imitate the tone and sound of greetings.

• Age 12 months: usually the baby starts saying the first word.

• Age 18 months to 2 years: Children begin to have around 50 vocabulary and start combining 2 words into phrases or short sentences.

• Age 2 to 3 years: The child’s sentence starts to be longer, around 4 to 5 words. Children can recognize almost all common objects and images, and start using pronouns (me, me, he) and some plural words.

• Age 3 to 5 years: children’s words are longer, abstract, and complex.

• Age 5 years: Children generally have a vocabulary of around 2,500 words and start speaking in a complete sentence with the correct grammar structure. They will also often ask like “Why?”, “What?”, And “Who?”.

• Age five and a half years: children’s words should be fully understood.

• Age seven and a half years: children usually no longer experience pronunciation errors.

Things that should be avoided

• Avoid testing children with questions like “what is this?” Because children learn better without pressure.

• Don’t criticize children if they cannot say a word correctly. Better parents repeat the word correctly. For example, if your child points to a cat and says “Ca”, you can answer, “Yes, it’s a cat.”

• Reduce background noise like TV sound, so that children can hear and pay attention to your conversation with other family members.

Signs of late speech (Speech Delay)

Language delay, including children who are late talking:

• 18 months – not saying the first word

• 42 months-cannot make a 3-4 word phrase and difficulty stringing words together

• 66 months-Can not tell a short story about things at school or repeating stories

Mistake in the sound of speech:

• 42 months – Speaking of children less than 75% can be understood

• 66 months – Speaking of children less than 100% can be understood

• 90 months – children still have mistakes in the sound of speech

Limitations of Social-Communication Ability:

• 18 months – children cannot ask for objects by pointing or talking

• 42 months – not involved in symbolic games

• 66 months – unable to tell stories with plot. Stuttering at the age of 42 months or stuttering for more than 6 months

Stuttering or not smooth in speaking:

• At any age, if the stuttering lasts more than 6 months from the beginning of the emergence – stuttering or not smooth in talking

Sound Disorders:

• At any age – hoarseness

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Reference:

https://www.healthxchange.sg/children/parenting-tips/child-late-talker

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/amp/article/speech-ding Development-in-children