Overcoming a Fear of Snakes

It's easy to remember certain things about the development of your child. When he or she is old enough to stand on his or her own, you can begin the process of teaching him or her how to walk. However, speech is something that seems to develop out of nowhere. Simply by speaking, your child will usually acclimate him- or herself to speech. This is not always the case, however. There are some instances where your child may have some difficulty developing a mode of consistent speech; this is generally referred to as a speech disorder. How do you know when your child is showing signs of a speech disorder, though? This rough guide will give you some signs, by age, of situations and behaviors that might be indicative of the fact that your toddler has a speech disorder.

25 Months

By the time your child is 25 months old, they should have developed certain speech intricacies. If not, then this might be a sign that your child is suffering from a speech disorder. For example, your child should be to form simple, 2 to 4 word sentences at this point at his or her life. They don't necessarily have to be grammatically correct, or even consistent, but sentences that declare possession, such as, "This mine," for example, is a statement that they should be able to convey. A child should be able to use certain declaratives for names, as well. For example, they should be able to name certain body part parts at this age.

36 Months

At 36 months old, a child should be able to have formed a bit of refined speech. For example, they should be able to accurately, regularly and perhaps even consistently use pronouns. If a child has trouble using the term "I" to refer to him- or herself, then this is a very big sign that he or she has some sort of speech disorder. At this point in a child's life, he or she should be able to articulate him- or herself to strangers. Before this period, it is easy for many parents or close family members to understand the parlance of the child, but at this time, he or she should have acclimated socially in such a way that speech is understood by strangers, as well.

Throughout Age 3

Throughout the age of 3, there are certain vocal patterns and traditional speech formations that your child should be able to perform. Your child should be able to speak in short phrases, such as giving brief instructions. Likewise, if your child has trouble understanding instructions, this might be indicative of a cognitive disorder that impedes a child's ability to process language tropes. In addition, an ability to want to interact with other children while clinging to one's parent could additionally be indicative of this a speech disorder. If a child has a problem with understanding language, then he or she has a problem with communicating, thus the asocial behavior.

Throughout Age 4

Like the age of 3, throughout the age of 4, there are certain elements of a language that a child should have picked up on at this point. For example, if a child has trouble distinguishing between opposites. "Same" and "different" are key examples of this usage. "Me" and "you" are also commonly indistinguishable between children who have speech disorders. If a child has trouble discussing or forming single consonant sounds at this age, then this also might be a huge issue.

Speech disorders in children are quite common; especially in toddlers. Thankfully, they are an issue that you can work through. It is recommended that you discuss the matter with a reputable speech pathologist that specializes in child speech disorders. Contact a business, such as ABC Pediatric Therapy for more information.