One of the major milestones in child development is speech. It’s obviously one of the most highly anticipated moments for parents, who can’t wait to hear that little voice call for mommy and daddy and discover the world through words. But it is a moment that should be awaited with patience, even though it is almost impossible to hold back. After all, each baby develops and learns at their own pace and this process occurs over the first two years of life, and in some cases, can extend a little longer. For babies and children who show speech difficulties, there is a medical specialty that can help: pediatric speech therapy.
Whenever any difficulty is noticed in learning, word pronunciation, or any other issue in language development, a pediatric speech therapist should be consulted. This specialty aims to evaluate and study prevention and therapy methods to overcome difficulties in the development of overall communication. Hearing, voice, swallowing, as well as oral and written communication are all assessed, as these are fundamental points in child development. Through various techniques, it is possible to detect at which stage the baby or child is in their development, and thus start appropriate speech therapy treatment that will stimulate the areas that need more attention as pointed out in the evaluation.
One fact that is not very well explained to parents in general is that lack of respiratory coordination can also be a reason for speech development difficulties in children. Babies and children who breathe through their mouths in the wrong way tend to experience delays in learning and development. The problem can be corrected and greatly improved with speech therapy exercises, so the sooner help from a specialist is sought, the quicker positive results will be seen. Pediatric speech therapy also plays a major role in helping the development of children with Down syndrome, infant and cerebral paralysis, childhood psychosis, children with respiratory problems such as asthma, during treatment of laryngeal cancer, hearing-impaired children, and also for children who are born with cleft lip and palate, among other health conditions that can affect communication.
Stages of Speech Development
Right in the first few minutes of life, the baby already demonstrates their first form of language: crying. Each stage will be marked by a different step in communication and development, and each stage should be respected. Babies gradually learn to use words to describe what they want, wish for, and feel, as their emotional, mental, and behavioral development matures. Remember that babies are great observers and even pay attention to lip reading to learn to pronounce syllables, in addition to seeing how and when certain words are used to communicate.
Speech is directly linked to the baby’s hearing, as they will learn by listening and by the sentence structure of others around them, absorbing sounds and words. However, in the first few months their main way of communicating will be crying. If they are hungry they will cry, when their diaper is dirty as well and if they are bothered by something or sleepy, tears will surely follow. But how do you tell the reason for so much crying? And believe me, we parents can distinguish a cry of whining from a cry of hunger, for example. There’s nothing like time to help us develop this connection with our children, and to know, even without words, what they are feeling and need at that moment. From the first to third month of life, this will be the main form of communication.
At around the 4th month of life, you’ll be surprised to hear some sounds like “bababa”, “mama”, “tetê”, “dadá”, and “papa”. Obviously, parents often think of this as the child’s first spoken words, believing they are already calling mommy or daddy. But this is just a phase of discovery for the baby, where they learn that they have a tongue, a palate, and can make sounds through their vocal cords. And when they manage to create a new sound, believe me, it’s fun and motivates them to keep trying and producing new sounds.
From 6 to 9 months old, the previously funny sounds that sounded like baby gibberish – or as it’s often called, “babytalk” – start to become clearer, and sometimes meaningful words will even pop out by coincidence, becoming ever clearer. In this stage, it’s very important to talk more and more with your baby, especially facing them so that they can see your lips move and connect the sound to the movement. Singing and telling stories are also precious ways to help your child develop their speech. When they reach their first birthday, from 12 to 17 months, babies will increasingly develop a sense of communication and the importance of words. At this time, they can even refer to things they’re interested in and already call their parents. Some babies at this phase are able to communicate very well, with a well-defined vocabulary. However, for this stage, such development is considered early.
Between 18 months to 2 years old, this is the period when babies learn and memorize words fastest. They’re able to learn about 10 new words a day. That’s why you should be extra careful with what you say around them, since they can easily repeat everything they hear at home. This is the phase in which they begin to form small sentences, such as “it’s mine”, “give me”, “I want”. From 2 to 3 years old, the daily refinement of syllables and words is constant, along with the formation of longer sentences, and they can already take part in a dialogue. The main challenge during this stage is controlling their voice volume, which is often hard to get just right. Naturally, you’ll have to remind your child to lower their voice.
Parents can’t wait for their children to talk and it’s at this age they remember how nice a little silence can be, haha. At age three, they become real chatterboxes and love to share every little thing that happens in their day and each new discovery. If your child is not reaching expected development milestones or you notice a greater difficulty, talk to the pediatrician responsible for their follow-up. This will help assess whether there is a need for follow-up with a pediatric speech therapist or if the delay is normal.
See also: Development of Speech in Babies and Children
Photos: João Vicente
