ISSS News and Noteworthy:
Potential Warning Signs Related to Speech and Language Development

Children who do not enjoy communicating, or who exhibit one or more of the following signs, may be at risk for typical speech and language development.

DOES THE CHILD …

• produce few creative utterances that are three words or more in length by the age of three?

• have a limited ability to comprehend or express vocabulary?

• have difficulty acquiring new words to express ideas?

• have sentence structure that is noticeably faulty by age 5?

• have difficulty being understood by unfamiliar adults at age 5?

• display little interest in “playing” with the sounds of language, especially rhyming?

• appear to rely on familiar situations or contextual cues to understand language (e.g., routines, gestures, tone of voice, visual cues, etc.)?

• show little interest in using language to engage in social interactions or play?

• have difficulty naming common objects or familiar people?

• have an over-reliance on non-specific word choices (e.g., thing, stuff, etc.)?

• show little interest in using language to learn about the world (e.g., does not ask “Why?” questions)?

• have difficulty learning either the letter names or sounds of the alphabet?

• have difficulty telling or retelling stories about personal experiences?

• misunderstand simple jokes or riddles?

• get into trouble with peers because they have misunderstood what is being communicated?

• have difficulty comprehending events from a perspective other than their own?

• have difficulty using language to reason or problem solve?

Note that communication skills need to be considered within the context of the cultural norms of the community and the child’s exposure to English.

Especially for Families

The development of speech and language represents one of the most remarkable progressions in a child’s life and creates memories that connect family members. If you are concerned about your child’s communication skills, link to these web sites to review milestones of typical speech and language development.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (English and Spanish)
http://www.asha.org/speech/development/dev_milestones.cfm

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/thebasics_speechandlanguage.asp

Learning Disability Association of America
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/speech-language/lda_milestones.html

If concerns persist, share them with your child’s health care provider. For children 0 – 36 months, assistance is available through the Birth to Three System. Call your local school district if your child is age three or older.

For more information, please contact:
SERC Consultants: Ruth D. Kirsch, LCSW, Ph.D., (860) 632-1485 (ext. 364) or Donna D. Merritt, Ph.D., CCC, ext. (337)