Looking Deeper: I don’t think my child is meeting communication milestones
This blog is taking a deeper look into our previous blog about 10 Signs Your Child Might Need a Speech, Language, or Hearing Evaluation . Let’s delve a little more deeply into indicator #1: My child does not appear to be meeting speech or language milestones.
Have you ever been hiking or trying to traverse uneven terrain, and you feel like you are struggling to get anywhere, despite your best efforts? Ever feel like you are trying to jump from one stepping stone to another, but sometimes you slip because you just couldn’t make it that far? Sometimes, that’s what our kids experience with communication and speech and language milestones. They might just need a helping hand to close the gap and make it from one step to the next.
What It Means if a Child Is Not Meeting Communication Milestones: What Parents and Professionals Can Do
Early communication skills are foundational to a child’s development. From cooing and babbling to saying first words and forming sentences, these milestones help children connect with others and express their needs, thoughts, and feelings. But what happens if a child isn’t meeting expected communication milestones?
Understanding what this means and how to respond can make all the difference in a child’s long-term success.
What Are Communication Milestones?
Communication milestones are age-based benchmarks that reflect typical development of speech, language, and social communication skills. For example, by 12 months, most children respond to their name, babble with intent, use 1 “true” word with intent, and use simple gestures like waving (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023). By 2 years old, many children are combining two words and following simple instructions.
Delays in reaching these milestones don’t always signal a serious problem, but they can be early indicators of speech-language disorders, hearing loss, developmental delays, or even autism spectrum disorder (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2024).
What It Might Mean If a Child Is Not Meeting Milestones
Missing or significantly delaying communication milestones may indicate:
- Speech or language delay: Difficulty forming sounds (speech) or understanding/using language (language).
- Hearing loss: If a child doesn’t respond to sounds or speech, it could be due to undiagnosed hearing problems.
- Developmental differences: Some delays may be associated with conditions like autism or global developmental delay.
- Environmental factors: Limited social interaction, reduced exposure to language, or excessive screen time may also play a role (Madigan et al., 2020).
It’s important to remember that children develop at their own pace. But persistent delays, especially across multiple areas of communication, warrant further evaluation.
What Parents Can Do
If you’re concerned that your child isn’t meeting communication milestones:
- Track behaviors: Keep notes of what your child can and cannot do. Apps like the CDC’s Milestone Tracker can help.
- Talk to your pediatrician: Early discussions with your child’s doctor can lead to early referrals and assessments.
- Request an evaluation: Parents can ask for a speech-language evaluation through early intervention services (for children under 3) or the local school district (age 3+), even without a doctor’s referral.
- Engage with your child: In the meantime read, talk, sing, and play with your child daily. Face-to-face interactions are powerful for building communication skills. While the value of professional expertise is key to early intervention, these interactions are often the basis of successful strategies, and parents can often start taking small steps even before “formal intervention”.
- Limit screen time: Excessive screen exposure in young children has been linked to language delays (Madigan et al., 2020).
What Professionals Can Do
For pediatricians, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), audiologists, and early childhood educators, early detection and intervention are key.
- Screen regularly: Use validated tools for formal assessment, coupled with informal and dynamic assessment to identify possible deficits.
- Refer quickly: If delays are suspected, SLPs or early intervention programs should be brought in as early as possible. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcomes (ASHA, 2024).
- Create individualized plans: SLPs develop tailored treatment plans based on the child’s strengths and needs, often incorporating play-based therapy.
- Educate and empower families: Professionals should provide families with strategies, resources, and reassurance to support communication at home.
Early Action Matters
Communication delays do not always signal a long-term disorder—but when left unaddressed, they can impact learning, social development, and mental health. The good news? Early identification and support can dramatically improve a child’s communication and overall development.
Remember that each child develops in his/her own time. However, if you’re unsure whether your child is on track, it’s never too early to ask for help. Early action is the most powerful tool we have.
References
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2024). Developmental milestones. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Developmental milestones. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/
- Madigan, S., McArthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., Eirich, R., & Christakis, D. A. (2020). Association between screen time and children’s performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(3), 272–279. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.4488
