Last week, I shared Early Warning Signs of a Speech Delay for Infants and Early Warning Signs of a Speech Delay for 18+ Months, and today I want to share Early Warning Signs of a Language Delay!

To review, let’s talk about the difference between speech and language! It gets confusing for some people, because the two words are often lumped together (i.e., “speech language pathologist,” “speech language impairment,” “speech language evaluation”), but they really do refer to two different things. Speech, or articulation, refers to how we say sounds. Voice (how our vocal folds vibrate to create sound) and fluency (the rhythm of speech) are also frequently included when we talk about speech. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), language refers to the words we use and how we use them to share ideas and get what we want.

Early Warning Signs of a Speech Delay for 18+ Months

Speech, or articulation, refers to the way we say sounds. It’s normal for children to have some errors in their speech, and these errors can be classified as developmental or non-developmental errors. Developmental errors are errors that are appropriate based on the child’s age (i.e. a four year old saying, “wun” for “run”) and frequently resolve as the child gets older, however non-developmental errors need to be addressed via speech therapy.

Do's and Don'ts of Read Alouds

In today’s post, my sweet friend, Sarah Chesworth, is sharing her tips for making the most of your reading time with your child. Sarah is a former elementary school teacher and new mom. She is passionate about early childhood education and loves helping teachers and parents make learning fun and meaningful for their little ones. She believes that reading aloud is one of the most powerful things that parents can do with their children, and as a speech language pathologist, I couldn’t agree more! Here are the wonderful tips she shared with me…