Every child grows and develops at their own pace. However, if your child does not speak just like other children of the same age, he/she might have a speech delay. But sometimes, parents wait for their child to speak and tend to avoid the problem. The biggest question is how to know if your child has delay in speech and language development. 

The best speech therapy specialist in Kolkata highlights some signs to look for to see if your child has a speech delay. 

Warning signs indicating your child has speech delay

The number of words a child starts to speak at different ages differs from child to child. However, there are some warning signs indicating that your child needs speech delay treatment. 

  • They prefer gestures over words. 

If your child is 18 months old or older and still using gestures to communicate, it could be a sign of speech delay. Infants generally make noise and other sounds after the age of 12 months and if they don’t, they might have delay in speech development. 

  • They struggle to pronounce words. 

By the age of two, a child usually starts to pronounce simple words like “mama” or “dada”. Moreover, at the age of three, they are able to understand words as well. If your child struggles to pronounce words, it is a sign that you must consult a speech-language pathologist in Kolkata. 

  • Your child has trouble imitating sounds. 

Children by the age of 18 months or older must be able to imitate sounds. The American Speech Language Hearing Association stated that children are able to speak  sounds like b, p, m, d, n, h by the age of 1-2 years old. Moreover, sounds like t, k, g, w, ng, f, and y are mastered at the age of three. If your child does not speak these words, it is a sign of speech delay. 

  • They can’t follow conversations. 

Though it is considered that not being able to speak is a sign of speech delay, trouble in following conversations may also indicate speech delay. It is advised to all parents to talk to your child regularly to help them learn new words. 

There are treatments for speech delay. Hence, if you notice any of the above signs in your child, consult a speech-language pathologist without delay. 

SLPs will teach your child various techniques and exercises to help them overcome delays in speech. On the other hand, you can also consider speech delay treatment at home for your child and practice the exercises as suggested by SLPs.