Understanding Communication Milestones and When to Seek Help

What are Communication Milestones?

Communication milestones are certain communicative skills (e.g. smiling, waving, talking) that children are expected to develop, on average, by a certain age range. Milestones can assist families and caregivers in knowing what to typically expect as a child grows and develops and most importantly, when to seek help if needed. If you want to know “Should my child be talking?” or “When will my toddler say his/her first word?” You can find a comprehensive list of communication milestones from Birth – 5 years here–> Communication Milestones in Children (American Speech Language-Hearing Association, ASHA). In addition to specific communication milestones, ASHA provides many ways you can support your child’s communication skills at home. Here is an example below:

Ways to support your toddler, from Birth - 1 year of age: 

• Pay attention to your child’s hearing. Do they turn their head toward sounds? Pay attention to crying while pulling at their ears. This could mean an ear infection. Call your doctor. 

• Respond to your baby. When they make sounds, look at them, smile, imitate sounds back to them. 

• Sing, tell stories, read to your child every day. 

• Teach your child to copy actions such as clapping, blowing kisses, waving bye-bye, playing peek-a-boo.

  
  

What if I think my child has a speech and language delay?

Infants/Toddlers

If you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development, share your concerns with your pediatrician right away. With your pediatrician’s help or independently you can reach out to a certified and licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) and other health professionals. If your child is birth-three years of age, you can reach out to Early On, Michigan’s system for helping infants and toddlers, birth to three, who have developmental delays or are at risk for delays due to certain health conditions. Log on to their website and fill out a referral form here. Early intervention is extremely important for young children and has been shown to impact their development and schooling later on. 

Preschool and School-Aged Children

Contact your school system: If you have concerns with your child’s speech and language development check in with their teacher(s) and share your concerns. They may also have similar concerns. Teachers are important team members in your child’s development. You can also contact your school district’s Special Education Director and express your concerns. You can typically find the email and phone number of your Special Education Director on your school district's website.

Contact a local private practice: In addition to or in lieu of support from your local school system, you can seek support from a local private practice by simply searching “private speech therapy services” in your area. If you are in the East Tawas area, Fun First Therapy is a great place to start! The FFT Team provides in-person, virtual, and hybrid social work/counseling, speech-language therapy, and feeding/swallowing therapy.  

I hope you enjoyed this blog post!

-Lexie Starnes, MA CCC-SLP