A “wait and see” approach to your child’s speech isn’t a good idea. Dana and Jason Johnson, founders and owners of Speech Therapy Unlimited say, “Approximately 40-50% of children who are late to talk don’t catch up on their own. The earlier you seek help, the easier it is for your child to catch up. Baby talk is just as important as “big people talk”…and we’ve put together three tips for understanding it!”

1. Milestones matter! The wiggle room in meeting a milestone is only a couple of months. Between the ages of 12-17 months a child should imitate familiar words, use “mama” and “dada,” make the “sounds” of familiar animals, and vocalize for enjoyment. By the age of 2 a child has around 200 words in speaking vocabulary, uses 2 word negative phrases (“No go!”) and refers to self by name. Just six months later a child uses about 450 words, uses short sentences, past tense and plurals and combines nouns and verbs, and begins to control behavior verbally rather than just physically. And by the age of three you child will use contractions, tells simple stories, uses nearly 1000 words, and can make the sounds m, n, p, f, h, b, and w.

2. What you say matters! Dana says, “Even if you feel crazy, model correct speech and language, narrate your day, and respond to your child when she or he makes a sound. When your child begins to talk, listen and ask questions! Always talk a little beyond his or her level of language production. Jason and I tell our clients, working on speech isn’t something we do only here in the office, it’s something that happens every minute of your day!”

3. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to talk! Jason says, “Temper tantrums, sullenness, disobedience, tears…these are all signals that your child wants to communicate with you…and can’t! Help your child unlock the power of speech. At Speech Therapy Unlimited, we believe in matching the right therapist with each child for therapy that’s fun, targeted, and effective!”