Hearing your child's first words is a huge milestone! Before you know it, they're learning and developing more confident speech and language every day and chatting up a storm. The first several years of a child's life will be full of so many learning moments, but you may be left wondering if your child's development is progressing normally, especially when comparing them to other kiddos in your life.
That's why we've created a series of videos outlining what typical speech and language development looks like from ages one to five. Instead of giving you a written list, we decided to film real kids demonstrating their level of speech in play, conversation, and reading.
Our main video shows the language abilities of six different children, ages one to five, when the foundations of speech are being developed. Seeing it unfold on video lets us watch and compare the changes that come with each passing year!
If you'd prefer a snapshot of children's language development at a particular age, we've separated the main video into 5 shorter ones. Click on the links below to check them out.
All Ages: Video
The goal of this project is to showcase the norms in speech and language acquisition based on research from the sources listed below. It's important to remember that these videos are not the absolute definition of how your child should be communicating at their age. Everyone is different and a lot of factors can determine how quickly they reach each milestone. However, these videos can be used as a tool to gauge how your children are progressing based on the average 'norms' of kids their age.
So, if you notice a delay in your child's speech compared to what you see in our videos, or you think they might be struggling with a speech impediment, don't be afraid to get in contact with a Speech-Language Pathologist to evaluate if they would benefit from speech therapy.
We hope you enjoy watching this series as much as we enjoyed making it!
References
Cochlear Limited. (2009). Integrated scales of development. Retrieved from: https://2ears2hear.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/product_cochlearimplant_rehabilitationresources_earlyintervention_integratedscalesofdevelopmentfromlistenlearnandtalk_en_612kb.pdf
Dosman, C. F., Andrews, D., & Goulden, K. J. (2012). Evidence-based milestone ages as a framework for developmental surveillance. Paediatrics & child health, 17(10), 561-568.
Lanza, J. R., & Flahive, L. K. (2009). LinguiSystems guide to communication milestones. East Moline, IL: LinguSystems.
Learning Disabilities Association of America. Learning Disabilities Online – LD-Indepth: “Speech and Language Milestone Chart” www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/speech-language/lda_milestones.html
McLeod, S., & Crowe, K. (2018). Children's Consonant Acquisition in 27 Languages: A Cross-Linguistic Review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(4), 1546-1571.
Andalusia Speech Therapy has multiple clinics across Ontario and offers virtual therapy to clients anywhere in the world. Contact us more for information.