Child Development 101: Beyond “Mama” and “Dada” - Does Your Child Have Enough Words?

"When children are speech delayed, they may have difficulty acquiring and mastering the basic code for written language," said Deborah Swain, director and founder of the Swain Center for Listening, Communication and Learning in Santa Rosa. "They may have trouble discriminating sounds. For instance, the difference between ‘ch' and ‘sh.' This will affect reading and spelling."

Speech milestones developed by organizations such as the American Speech Language and Hearing Association provide guidelines on typical speech development. A baby will generally have one or two words around their first birthday. Between 2 and 3, they will use two- to three-word phrases. By the time they are 4, they will be using sentences with four or more words. Some children will reach these milestones at varying ages, therefore if a child doesn't have the words for her age range, it doesn't necessarily mean she has a disorder.

But in the interest of supporting a child's early learning, "parents should follow their gut instinct," said Lauren Zimet, a speech language pathologist in Atlanta. "If a child doesn't seem to understand what a parent is asking, if a baby isn't babbling, a speech pathologist can help."

Both Zimet and Swain agree that parents and caregivers can nurture their child's language development and early learning at home. Old-school activities like playing with blocks, stuffed toys and simple puzzles can help toddlers build vocabulary and language skills if parents talk with the child while they play together. Reading aloud helps children increase vocabulary and stimulates the ability to remember sounds. "With technology, families are getting away from playing games involving speaking," Swain said. "Synthetic voices can't replace that."

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