Toddler Week 91

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Communication Development

In the months to come, your toddler will practice emerging language skills and in approximately a year’s time he’ll be able to tell you a short story in sequence. Any day now the endearing but patience building phrase ‘But why, Mom?’ can also emerge and persist well into his fourth year.Parents usually express concern about specific characteristics of speech and language development in their toddlers during this phase. Parents may notice the following:

  • Letter and word substitution – Your toddler’s representation of the English sound system is still developing. It is normal for toddlers to substitute some sounds for others when learning to speak. One toddler may consistently substitute all [k] sounds for a [t] sound while another may occasionally say the [k] sound correctly and substitute it occasionally with another sound. This is referred to as phonological processing development and is a normal characteristic of toddler’s speech – and language development up to about four years of age.
  • Non-fluent speech and repetition of words – Most toddlers go through a phase where the language system in their heads progresses faster than their speech muscles are able to produce words and sentences. This can result to non-fluent speech and word repetitions. It may sound a lot like stuttering to concerned parents, but is in fact normal disfluency and will pass as soon as a toddler’s language system and speech muscles are in sync with one another. It is important not to place any communicative pressure on a toddler when he displays normal disfluencies. If the non-fluent speech is severe or leads to frustration, it is time to consult a Speech-language Pathologist for a professional opinion.
  •  Using words from different languages – If your child is exposed to more than one language at a young age, he might use words from both languages to construct a sentence during this time of his development. This is perfectly normal for toddlers who are acquiring language through simultaneous bilingualism. As your child grows older he will develop the meta-linguistic ability to distinguish between the two languages and will be able to speak one language at a time.                                                                                                                                                                  

Communication development is an amazing process and is greatly encouraged by interacting with your toddler and reading aloud to him on a daily basis. If you feel concerned about his ability to follow simple directions or express himself, consult a Speech-Language Therapist for a professional opinion.

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