As the primary caregiver of a young child, you may notice large variability in skill development. There can be a wide range in the timing and acquisition of developmental milestones. So when should a caregiver become concerned? Although the rate of skill acquisition can vary across different children, there is a typical developmental trajectory and developmental benchmarks that should be referenced to make referrals to see a specialist.
Pediatricians are on the front lines of identifying potential delays and it is important to receive regular medical checkups. During your child’s annual physical along with medical metrics, a developmental milestone check should be conducted. Below are some excellent website resources to reference established developmental milestones in speech and language skills.
1. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association lists milestones from birth through Kindergarten by clicking on the link How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?
2. The National Institute of Health Center on Deafness and other Communication Disorders has a Yes/No Hearing and Communication Development Checklist to identify potential areas of concern
Hearing & Communication Checklist
3. Stanford Children’s Health has a chart that posts age appropriate skills by age
4. The website Pathways explains different categories of developmental milestones and provides an overview of milestones organized by core area in case there are concerns beyond speech and language
5. The Children’s Therapy and Family Resource Centre lists helpful red flags in addition to milestones by age.
If your child is not yet achieving the milestones, a more comprehensive assessment is warranted to determine and identify potential delays in a timely fashion for the provision of early intervention. Sign up for one of our screenings or book a chat with us!