Special Issues in Infants’ Speech and Language Development

Abstract

Infants start learning language when they hear and respond to familiar voices. The process of speech and language development milestones helps to tell whether a child is developing a language as expected. Thus, certain skills such as babbling, saying “mama” or “dada” or putting two words together and gestures to say what it means and understand what others say are identifiable. A child usually needs to master one milestone before reaching the next. Some type of hearing loss can cause speech delay. Children with a speech delay should have their hearing tested. This could be caused by developmental disorders such a autism, which can cause speech delay. This paper examines special issues in infants’ speech and language development Speech and language problems are estimated to occur in about 6 out of 100 children. That means 94 out of 100 children could develop normally. Mild and temporary speech delays can occur. Some children learn new words faster than others do. If the child is not saying any word by 18 months or says fewer than 50 words by 24 months, specialist attention is required. The ages at which children reach milestones vary from child to child. Some children especially girls are advanced in speech and language than boys. A child who is surrounded by speech and language all the time usually learns language faster. The remedy for speech and language defect can be resolved or improved as prescribed by providing strategies for speech and language development. The paper accordingly points the way forward as a guide to all speech and language teachers, parents and caregivers. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n14p11