A few days ago we were speechless with the two-month-old baby that says "I love you", but that is certainly not normal. Don't start making comparisons, which is one of the worst things parents can do. In fact, it is because of comparing our children with other children when concerns arise about whether they can do this or that.
Language development is one of the most frequent, especially when we meet children of the same age as our children capable of delivering a speech while ours does not articulate a word. The question is inevitable, My baby still doesn't speak, should I worry?
When do they start talking?
As in any aspect of development, in language acquisition each child has their own rhythm. Just as not all children begin to walk at the same age, neither do all begin to speak at a certain age. It all depends on the maturation of the child, on when his brain is biologically prepared to acquire language.
You can talk about simple speech delay when there is a lag in the appearance of speech and in the development of the expression regarding the chronological age of the child. It is a slow language development that does not correspond to its age.
Usually, When does the child start talking?
The baby starts to pronounce his first words between 10 and 13 months. At first he talks about people (dad, mom, baby), animals (dog, cat, duck ...), food (water, bread, apple ...), body parts (eyes, mouth, hand ...), clothing (pants , shirt, shoe ...), vehicles (car, boat, plane ...), toys (ball, puzzle, doll ...) or objects that are in the house (spoon, television, telephone ...), but also of the location in the space (up, down, next ...) and certain routines (hello, thanks, please ...).
By 18 months he has acquired between 50 and 100 words, by 20 months 200 words, by 2 years between 400 and 600 words, and by 3 years about 1,500 words and is able to use phrases of three elements with a structure of name + verb + name (for example, "baby eats bread").
Of course we are not counting the words he speaks, but it helps us to have an approximate idea. Nor does it mean that the child has a speech delay if he does not say 50 words at 18 months.
When can you say there is a speech delay?
You can say that the child It takes time to start talking when at 2 years does not produce two-word sentences.
There are also other symptoms that can alert you to a speech delay if after 3 years the child shows the following signs:
It has an alteration in the organization of language. That is, it is able to pronounce isolated sounds and groups of sounds, but it presents difficulties in forming words with them.
It shows a delay in the acquisition of the symbolic game.
It minimizes the use of propositions, links and uses many phonological simplifications.
Imitates but does not pronounce phrases spontaneously.
It must be said that most babies who start talking late are normalized later and it should also be clarified that premature babies may take longer to start talking.
How can we help?
Parents can help our children to Stimulate language acquisition with simple techniques, for example:
Read them and tell them stories frequently, even before they start talking, so they get familiar with new sounds and words.
Use simple phrases adapted to the child's age and level of understanding.
Go naming the actions we are going to do ("we put on our socks", "I clean your face")
Repeat several times everyday words that you still don't pronounce (car, house, book, etc.)
Spend a time of day to games in which speech intervenes (flashcards, draw and ask what he has drawn, draw the object he names you, etc.)
Use open-ended questions (and now what do we do? How does this work?) To motivate the child to participate.
Problems we should rule out
If we notice that the child does not progress in language acquisition it is necessary to go to a specialist to rule out any problems that could be interfering, such as: hearing problems, a speech disorder (dysglossia, dysarthria, stuttering) or some other problem development.
