There are many milestones in a child’s life.  From crawling to walking, parents anxiously anticipate these developmental accomplishments.  Talking is one such achievement.  We remember our children’s first word, the first time they say, “I love you”, and their cute speech approximations. 

Speech and language development begins in the womb.  In the last trimester, the part of the brain that processes sound is developed.^[1]http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/08/babies-learn-recognize-words-womb  As parents, we play a big role in our children’s growth and progress from the beginning.

 Many children suffer from speech and language difficulties.  Both of my children received services from a speech and language pathologist in preschool.   My son continues to this day.  Parents often have difficulty figuring out what are causes for concern and what is normal speech development.  It can be tricky due to the variance amongst developmental milestones.  Yet, parents should be aware of timelines to not miss red flags and start early intervention services.

The Definitive Guide to Speech and Language Development 

Time to Talk:  What You Need to Know About Your Child’s Speech and Language Development by Michelle MacRoy-Higgins, Ph.D., and Carlyn Kolker is an essential resource. 

Is your child on track?

Wondering when to expect baby’s first word? Want to get your toddler talking? Worried your child is not speaking as clearly as his peers? 

When it comes to language acquisition, all parents have questions…and Time to Talk has the answers. Written by an experienced speech-language pathologist and mom, this practical and proactive guide will help you: 

Understand the building blocks of speech and language • Monitor progress against expected milestones • Enhance your child’s communication skills • Spot signs of potential problems with hearing, speech, or language development • Address common concerns, such as articulation, late talking, stuttering, dyslexia, and more • Get the best results from speech and language therapy • Foster literacy • Raise bilingual children successfully • And more 

From baby’s first babbling to reading readiness, this speech-language booster and troubleshooter covers it all.

My second child was not “on track”.  He was a late talker and his pediatrician said to give it time.  I wish I would have had a book like Time to Talk to reference and discuss with his doctor.  His services began at two and half years old, and he was diagnosed with severe childhood apraxia of speech at age five.  He was not just a “late talker”.  I often wonder if we should have started speech services earlier.

Given my personal experience with speech and language development, I was curious about the red flags identified in Time to Talk.   These red flags for speech development span various ages.  From children recognizing their names by one year of age to sequencing events at six-years-old, this guide helps ease parents’ worries and offers guidance on how to get help.  The authors follow up each section on red flags with common questions from parents.  

Speech and language development are the foundations for literacy.  MacRoy-Higgins and Kolker include developmental literacy milestones, as well.  This section includes parenting tips, useful information, literacy red flags, and answers to common questions.  In our family’s experience, speech and language difficulties have slowed writing and reading development. 

There are so many important ideas in Time to Talk.  The authors discuss:

• How a child’s language emerges and how parents can coax it along
• Why parents need to know how and when their child needs to achieve important speech milestones
• Why it’s important to respond to babies’ vocalizations
• How the singsong way that we talk to babies and young children is important in children’s language formation
• Why parents should postpone exposure to TV for babies and toddlers
• What red flags can alert parents to potential issues
• Where to seek help a child’s talking is delayed

MacRoy-Higgins and Kolker methodically discuss hearing, speech, language, fluency, literacy, bilingualism, special concern, and resources for getting help.  This book is invaluable to all parents, especially those whose children are experiencing speech and language difficulties.  For ten years, I have been reading books on the subject and working with SLPs.  I continue to learn how best to help my son.  This book contributed to my knowledge and is an incredible guide on speech and language development. 

 

Photo credit:  Unsplash / Pixabay