Answering 2 Common Questions about Your Child's Language Development

In this 2nd post celebrating Better Hearing and Speech Month, I'm answering 2 common question I receive from parents about their child's language skills.

1. Is there a difference between speech and language?

Yes!  Speech and language refer to two completely different aspects of communication.  "Speech" refers to the actual movements required for producing speech sounds, including the movement of the jaw, tongue, lips, and vocalizations using the larynx (voice box).  So, children with articulation delays, phonological disorders, and even those who stutter and exhibit voice disorders have deficits of speech and not necessarily language.  

"Language" refers to socially shared rules that govern vocabulary, sentence structure (syntax), manipulating word meanings (morphology), and contextual usage of language (pragmatics).  Children with deficits in the area of language may have a more limited vocabulary, difficulty using correct grammar, problems following directions, or understanding and using social language, to only name a few.  There are many aspects of language that speech language pathologists assess and treat... click here for a more exhaustive list.  

2. My 2 year old isn't really talking much, but he's a boy... don't boys tend to talk later?

It's true, there is a wide range of "normal" and every child develops at their own pace in their own way.... and girls do tend to develop speech and language faster than boys. But, there are still some important milestones every child should reach by a particular age.

These are only a few milestones… for more speech and language expectations, click here.

​If your child isn't reaching these significant milestones, he may have a deficit in speech or language and I would encourage you to seek advice from a Speech Language Pathologist. Don't let the “my-son-didn’t-talk-till-he-was-3-and-now-he’s-fine!” stories keep you from missing critical red flags. A parent once told me, “I wish I had started speech therapy from the jump and found out she didn’t need it, than waste nearly half a year waiting to see if she would catch up."

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​Missing these critical milestones could mean your child may have a deficit in speech or language and I would encourage you to seek advice from a Speech Language Pathologist. Don't let the “my-son-didn’t-talk-till-he-was-3-and-now-he’s-fine!” stories keep from missing critical red flags. A parent once told me, “I wish I had started speech therapy from the jump and found out she didn’t need it, than waste nearly half a year waiting to see if she would catch up."

Find a Speech Language Pathologist near you!