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Questions & Answers - Speech & Language Concerns
My son is 26 months old. He is an only child but has attended
daycare since he was 6 weeks old. My son doesn't say the beginning
of most words such as BANANA; its just NANA. He can follow simple
directions and has OK social skills. Like most kids, he has his
days. He can say things like "come one mama", or "lets go" and "mama
what you doing" or "where she go?". He knows his colors and can
count to 10. I just wonder if he is having problems with speech
because he isn't saying the beginning of some words. Should I have
him looked at?
It sounds like your son has a good start on an emerging
expressive language vocabulary and several simple 2-3 word phrases,
which would be appropriate for 26 months of age. At age two we
typically look for a child to have an expressive single word
vocabulary of around 50 words or more and the ability to put 2-3
words together such as your son is doing with "let's go" or "come on
Mom". If he is also following one to two step commands for you such
as "Get your shoes" or "Pick up your book and put it on the table"
then he sounds as if his language skills both expressively and
receptively are age appropriate. Do not be concerned that he is
leaving off some initial sounds of words or pronouncing some words
unclearly. As therapists we do not begin to look at articulation or
clarity of speech until after age three.
Many toddlers still have difficulty with initial or ending sounds
or even pronouncing words that have more than one syllable such as
banana as you mentioned. You will often hear toddlers say "nana" for
banana or "paghetti" or just "ghetti" for spaghetti, but by being a
good language role model you are always pronouncing the word
correctly for them, so they can see and hear you say it. When your
son says "nana" you reply "Yes, you want a BAnana" stressing the
initial sound for him, but there is not need to correct him or point
out that he is saying it incorrectly as this may only frustrate him.
You can even break the words down and practice beginning, middle and
ending sounds with your son for words with more than two
syllables,by having him repeat after you as a game "ba", "na", "na".
You may also hear toddlers say "boo" for blue or "cacker" for
cracker or "scare" for square and this is also typical since many
toddlers will particularly have difficulty with words which involve
blends such as "bl, pl, cr, sp, fr, pr, sq, and st". It is helpful
again for you to slow down and let your son watch your lips and hear
you say these sounds as he attempts to imitate you. You can also use
a mirror during speech play so he can see his own lips, tongue and
mouth form the sounds and words. As your son approaches age three,
if you are not seeing improvement in his ability to pronounce
beginning sounds of words or you or the day care staff are still
concerned with the clarity of his speech, then you may want to seek
an evaluation from a licensed speech pathologist to look at his
articulation.
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Questions & Answers - Speech & Language Concerns
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