What time do children start talking and how to help them

When children start to speak

There is no definite answer to this question. The thing is that children's speech occurs Baby milestone: Talking much earlier than the conscious "mom" or "give" sounds.

The first form of communication is crying. Parents know that it differs depending on what the child wants to convey. For example, a high-pitched scream most likely means a baby needs food, and a grunting whine means it's time to change a diaper.

Sounds similar to real words appear at the age of 4-6 months. By this time, the speech apparatus is improving and the child begins to experiment, opening and closing his mouth, inhaling and exhaling, moving his tongue, changing the shape of the lips. So does When Do Babies Start Talking come about? infant babbling: "a-ba-ba", "agu" or even "mama."

But you shouldn't take these first words seriously: it's an accident. The child does not yet associate his "mom", "baba" or "give" with specific people or actions.

If a person assures that his child spoke at 7-9 months, he is either mistaken or wishful thinking.

The first meaningful word appears Ontogeny of speech development between the ages of 11 and 12 months. And then the process goes like an avalanche. By the age of one, the child usually knows and pronounces not one, but from 2 to 20 words: "mom", "dad", "baba", "give" and sometimes distorted, but nevertheless understandable "tu-tu" (train), "Boo" (to fall) or "am" (to eat).

Actually, the year can be considered the very boundary after which confident speech arises. Of course, children are different: someone starts chatting at 11 months, and someone keeps mum for up to a year with a ponytail (babbling does not count). But there is an important time point. If your child does not utter Your Child Talking Timeline a single deliberate word by 15 months, it is imperative to consult a pediatrician. He may need to undergo additional tests, such as a hearing test or visit a neurologist.

How to understand that a child has speech problems

Mom is the most important expert on her own baby. Therefore, if it seems to her that the child has difficulties with the pronunciation of sounds or the reaction to what he heard, this is already enough for a conversation with the doctor.

But besides "it seems" there are objective signs of speech problems. They vary according to age.

3-4 months:the child does not babble, does not experiment with sounds.
5-6 months:does not respond to unexpected sounds, does not turn his head at a call, does not laugh.
8-9 months:does not respond to its own name, babbling is rare and monotonous.
12 months: does not utter a single word, not even "mom", "give" or "na".
13-18 months: does not show simple objects in the picture or around (for example, does not understand the question "Where is the ball?"), does not have at least six words in the vocabulary by the age of 18 months and does not learn new ones.

Another alarming symptom is the loss of acquired language skills. For example, if by 18 months a child uses “normative” six words, but you know for sure that there were more than 20 words just a couple of months ago, tell the pediatrician about such a regression.

How to help your child speak

The best way is to create all the conditions for communication. Here are the three most important things every parent should do.

1. Have a conversation

No need to chat without interruption. Just talk to your child when you are spending time together.

Name the things that you are holding in your hands or holding out to the baby: “This is a ball. And this is a machine."
Describe what you are doing: “Now we are putting on our pants. And now - a jacket. And let's go for a walk!"
Explain what is happening around: “Oooh, what a loud car has gone!”, “Kar! This crow croaks "," But my mother's phone rings."
Ask questions: “Do you hear how dad calls us? We ran to him!”,“Your bunny is probably tired? Does he want to go to bed?"
Sing lullabies.

2. Read aloud

Reading shows the child that there are many different words, teaches how to make sentences, demonstrates how the action develops. This prompts him to tell his own stories, such as how the dolls play with each other, why the machine was hidden, or why he doesn't feel like eating your soup.

3. Listen

Be grateful for the stories: show interest, listen carefully, make eye contact. Make your child want to talk to you about what is happening around. This will stimulate him to use more words and fold them into more complex sentences.