Speech norms by age
The normal range for children is wide, and a slight lag on one point in itself does not solve anything. But there are guidelines, in the absence of which you should not wait, but check.
- 2–3 months - humming, prolonged vowel sounds in response to communication
- 6–7 months - babbling, repeated syllables: “ba-ba”, “ma-ma”, “dya-dya”
- 9 months - babbling becomes varied, the child responds to the name, understands intonation
- 12 months - from 1 to 5 meaningful words, pointing gesture, fulfilling a simple request, responding to “no”
- 18 months - usually 15-20 words or more, shows body parts and familiar objects in a picture
- 24 months - about 50 words and the first two-word phrases: “mom give me”, “let’s go for a walk”
- 3 years - phrasal speech, simple sentences, the child asks questions; speech is understandable to loved ones by about three quarters
- 4 years - speech is understandable to strangers, the child can talk about what happened during the day
- 5 years - a coherent story based on a picture, correct use of prepositions and endings; unstable pronunciation of individual sounds is acceptable
Понимание речи всегда опережает говорение и оценивается в первую очередь. Ребёнок, который понимает обращённую речь, выполняет просьбы, показывает предметы, но пока говорит мало, находится в куда более благоприятной ситуации, чем ребёнок с таким же словарём, но не понимающий обращения. Именно поэтому специалист сначала проверяет понимание.
Speech delay or something else
The general word “does not speak” hides very different conditions, and it is fundamentally important to distinguish them, because help is different in each case.
- Tempo delay in speech development - speech is formed later, but according to the usual scenario; with support, the child catches up with peers
- Hearing loss is the most commonly missed cause; the child does not hear the sample and cannot reproduce it
- Alalia is a severe systemic underdevelopment of speech with intact hearing and intelligence; it requires long-term work with a speech therapist-defectologist.
- Autism spectrum disorder - it is not the speech itself that comes to the fore, but the features of communication: lack of pointing gesture, eye contact, interest in communication
- Dysarthria - impaired pronunciation due to insufficient functioning of the muscles of the speech apparatus
- General developmental delay - the delay concerns not only speech, but also other areas
- A bilingual environment is not the reason for the delay, but sometimes it does cause a temporary lag in the volume of vocabulary in each language
Двуязычие само по себе не вызывает задержку речи и не является поводом отказываться от второго языка. Дети, растущие в двуязычных семьях, могут позже набирать словарь на каждом языке отдельно, но их общий словарь сопоставим со сверстниками. Если ребёнок молчит на обоих языках, дело не в билингвизме, и обследование нужно.
Why does it occur
- Heredity - parents or close relatives who spoke late
- Prematurity and low birth weight
- Hypoxia and complications during childbirth
- Previous neuroinfections, serious illnesses and head injuries in the first year
- Persistent hearing loss, including after frequent otitis media and due to adenoids
- Lack of live communication: they don’t talk to the child much, don’t read, don’t comment on what’s happening
- Early and prolonged use of screens instead of adult dialogue
- Hyperprotection, when adults anticipate all wishes and the child does not need to speak
The last two reasons are important because they are completely in the hands of the family. The screen does not teach speech, because speech develops only in dialogue: the child needs to respond to his sound, look where he pointed, and name what he sees. A cartoon is not capable of this, no matter how many words it contains.
Where to start the examination
- Объективная проверка слуха у сурдолога. Не «он же слышит, когда я зову», а аппаратное исследование — это первый и обязательный шаг.
- Осмотр детского невролога: оценка развития, мышечного тонуса, работы речевого аппарата, исключение неврологических причин.
- Логопедическая диагностика: оценка понимания речи, активного словаря, звукопроизношения, строения и подвижности артикуляционного аппарата.
- Консультация психолога при подозрении на особенности коммуникации и поведения.
- Осмотр ЛОР-врача при частых отитах, аденоидах, длительной заложенности носа.
- Дополнительные исследования — ЭЭГ, МРТ, генетическое обследование — назначаются не всем, а при конкретных показаниях.
Ждать, пока ребёнку исполнится три года, чтобы «отдать логопеду», не нужно. Ранняя помощь существует и для двухлетних, и для детей ещё младше: она строится вокруг развития понимания, жестов, подражания и совместного внимания, а не вокруг постановки звуков.
What they help at home
A home speech environment is not an addition to classes with a specialist, but half the result. Several techniques that work for children of any age.
- Comment out loud on everything that is happening: “pour water”, “wash hands”, “cold water” - the child should hear the language associated with the action
- Speak in short, clear sentences, a little slower than usual, but without distorting the words or lisping
- Pause and wait for a response—at least five seconds. A child needs time, but adults usually cannot stand silence
- Don't second-guess your desires. If a child reaches for a cup, do not give it silently - create a reason to say something or at least indicate it with a sound.
- Expand what has been said: the child says “beep” - you answer “yes, a big car is coming”
- Read picture books every day, discuss the pictures, ask simple questions
- Sing songs and repeat nursery rhymes: rhythm and repetition help memorization
- Play face to face, at the child's eye level - this is how he sees articulation
- Reduce background screen time and remove the TV during meals and games
- Develop fine and gross motor skills: modeling, cereals, lacing, climbing, balls
Do not correct your child harshly and do not demand that he repeat correctly - this is the fastest way to create a reluctance to speak. Instead of correcting, simply repeat the word in the correct form in your response: the child said “tits”, you answer “yes, the clock is ticking.”
What you shouldn't expect
- That “boys will talk later, this is normal” - the sex of the child is not a medical criterion; Boys are statistically slightly more likely to have speech disorders, which argues for earlier testing rather than waiting longer
- That it is enough to send a child to kindergarten, and he will “talk” - the environment helps, but does not replace diagnosing the causes
- That the silence will go away on its own after three years - some children really catch up, but it’s impossible to know in advance who exactly
- That drugs “to trigger speech” will solve the problem - drugs can be prescribed by a neurologist for specific indications, but speech develops in classes and in communication, and not in a pill
- What you need to wait in line without doing anything - the home speech environment works today
Полезно записывать на телефон короткие видео с речью ребёнка раз в месяц. Такая запись объективнее памяти, помогает увидеть реальную динамику и очень выручает на приёме у специалиста.
