Pediatric and School-Age Children Speech Therapy Services:

Most children develop speech and language skills within a specific age range. A child who takes longer to learn a skill may have a problem.

Are you worried about your child's speech, language, or hearing? If you suspect your child has a speech and language disorder know the signs and get help early.

Language is made up of the words we use to share ideas and get what we want. Language includes speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. A child with a language disorder may have trouble with one or more of these skills.

Signs of language problems may include:

• Birth–3 months: Not smiling or playing with others

• 4–7 months: Not babbling

• 7–12 months: Making only a few sounds. Not using gestures, like waving or pointing.

• 7 months–2 years: Not understanding what others say

• 12–18 months: Saying only a few words

• 1½–2 years: Not putting two words together

• 2 years: Saying fewer than 50 words

• 2–3 years: Having trouble playing and talking with other children

Speech is how we say sounds and words. It is normal for young children to say some sounds the wrong way. Some sounds do not develop until a child is 4, 5, or 6 years old. Signs of a speech sound disorder in young children may include:

• 1–2 years: Not saying p, b, m, h, and w the right way in words most of the time 

• 2–3 years: Not saying k, g, f, t, d, and n the right way in words most of the time. 

• Being hard to understand, even to people who know the child well.