Speech & Language problems in Kids:

Early Milestones:

• Delay in onset of speech & language

• Stuttering / Stammering

• Misarticulation

• Developmental Dyspraxia

• Speech problems in children with repaired cleft lip & palate

• Voice Problems

• Speech and language problems in children with L.D

Speech & Language - Early Milestones Chart

0-3 Months	Cries immediately after birth. Cries as a reflex reaction to his / her needs. Differentiation of cries (different cries for hunger, discomfort etc.) in the latter half of this period.
3- 6 Months	Grunts, gurgles and makes cooing sounds when comfortable. Produces some vowels and consonants.
6 - 9 Months	Produces strings of sounds such as 'Baba', 'Dada'. Uses voice increasingly Participates in routine plays such as 'Pat-a-cake'
9 -12 Months	Comprehends simple commands like "give it to daddy" and questions such as "Where is so and so" (referring to a sibling or a frequent visitor) Points to some body parts.
1 - 2 Years	A child normally says his first word around one year of age. Uses speech like pattern interspersed with true words. Has a vocabulary of 50 -100 words. Uses two word phrases in the later stages of this period.
When in doubt CONTACT A SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST

Delay in onset of Speech and Language:

A child who has not said his / her first meaningful word by the age of 18 months is delayed in speech and language acquisition. Some children may have said their first words by 18 months but subsequently the development may not have kept pace. Language delay is also associated with hearing impairment, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism etc. See FAQ for more information.

Some times a child who has shown normal speech / language development may regress. Such a situation also warrants immediate attention of a speech language pathologist.

Stuttering / Stammering:

Dysfluencies in speech are usually noticeable in most children after the second birthday. But, when word repetition (car, car, car gone) sound prolongation (ca…..r) syllable repetitions (ca..ca..ca….r) and pauses make the child unable to convey what he wants, or if the child / parent are worried about the disfluencies, then it is necessary to consult a speech language pathologist. Treatment is best initiated at the earliest. See FAQ for more information on stuttering.

Misarticulation:

Different speech sounds are acquired at different stages of a child's speech development. Sounds such as /pa/, /tha/ are acquired earlier and sounds such as /sa/, /ra/ and /sk/ (as in school), /tr/ (as in tree) are acquired later. In some children only one or two sounds may be mispronounced whereas in others so many sounds may be mispronounced that the child's speech may be unintelligible. Even at 4 years of age if your child's speech is not easily understood by a stranger then it is best to get professional help. See FAQ for more information on Misarticulation.

Developmental Dyspraxia:

These children have difficulty producing speech on command (i.e., requiring conscious effort), and find it easier to produce frequently used utterances (i.e., “hi”, “hello”, “bye”). Excessive effort is used to produce the simplest of sounds.

Speech Problems of children with repaired cleft lip and palate:

These children have nasal voice and misarticulation of speech sounds. Early intervention will help improve the quality of their speech.

Voice problems:

Voice problems include complete absence of voice (aphonia), hoarseness, harshness, breathiness, high/low pitched voice, etc. Children who scream and talk excessively are prone to voice problems. See FAQ for more information on Voice problems.

Speech and Language problems of children with L.D:

Children who lag behind in academics despite normal intelligence may be having learning disabilities. Some of them may have additional speech / language problems also. These children benefit from remedial programs.