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Developmental Red Flags
For Child Speech Delays
 Our
section on 'speech skills' is here as a guide for you. Look
for speech development milestones when talking to your
child.
 As
you review each Speech Skills section by Age Group, look for
this flag. If you are concerned that your child is
not engaging in age-appropriate speech behaviors and
reaching developmental milestones, speak with your
pediatrician.
Therapy Options
Thankfully, there are many ways to deal with delays in
child development and behaviors.
These include in-home services, outpatient (you take your
child to a clinic), inpatient (following injury or surgery)
and school based services. Which type of therapy should you
choose?
Visit our
Therapy Options area to learn more.
Ask a Therapist
We understand developmental milestones and the challenges
of Special Needs children. We spend a great deal of time
with families understanding the inner workings of childhood
routines and interactions. Ask us about your child today!
Ask a Therapist
Speech Development for Babies, Toddlers, and Young Children
Is My Baby's Speech Development Typical?
 Even
though your child can't yet answer your questions, it's still important that
you talk to it from the minute he or she is born.
First, your baby simply loves hearing your voice. And second, listening
to you talk - the pattern of your voice, the fact that certain sounds are
attached to certain objects - will help your child learn how to talk itself!
Remember, all babies develop at their own pace, so use the information in
this section simply as a guide.
If you have concerns regarding your child's development, please contact your
pediatrician and schedule an evaluation with a speech language pathologist.
Stuttering and Speech Development
 My
child is 2-years old and is stuttering. What should I do?
Stuttering, or disfluency, at this age is very common.
Normal disfluency can occur between the ages of 1 and 5 years of age.
These disfluencies usually indicate the child is increasing his or her
receptive language (understanding of language) and/or expressive language
(use of language).
At this age, stuttering can come and go as your toddler's skills continue
to develop.
Common disfluencies for children this age are syllable repetitions (ca-
cat), using interjections (um, er), and repeating whole words or phrases
("Mom mom I want a drink."). Children are usually calm during these
disfluencies.
Children who are at risk for stuttering can demonstrate repetition of a
word 3 or more times, substitute 'uh' for the vowels in words such as "cuh,
cuh, cuh, cat" or engage in prolongations like "ccccccccat". The pattern
during a prolongation/repetition is not smooth and facial/body tension
during these disfluencies is noticeable.
If you notice your child stuttering, do not call attention to it. Give
the child time to independently complete his or her thought. Do not put
pressure on the child and talk with him or her at a relaxed rate of speech.
If you begin to notice the 'at risk for stuttering' patterns, you should
contact your pediatrician and schedule an evaluation with a speech language
pathologist.
Speech Skills by Age Group
 Contact
Information
Find Early Intervention
Support contacts in your State. If you have a question or comment for
us, please visit our Contact page.
Early Intervention Helps with Developmental Delay
For children with Special Needs, intervention in early childhood
development means finding specific ways to help a child become as functional
as possible.
Learn more on our Parenting
Tips
page.
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