Sometimes it’s difficult to know if your child has a Language Delay, especially if they are bilingual. There are some early signs that signal it would be a good idea to speak to a speech therapist to see if they could benefit from speech therapy.
For monolingual children:
-Does not babble (4-7 months)
-Makes only a few gestures or sounds (7-12 months)
-Words are not understood (18 months-2 years)
-Doesn’t understand what others say (7 months- 2 years)
For bilingual children, many of the same speech and language milestones should be reached around the same time. But there are common signs for bilingual children that help identify when speech therapy may be helpful.
For Bilingual Children:
-Difficulty producing sounds in both languages
-Family history of speech and language difficulties
-Slower development than siblings
-Difficulty interacting with peers
So for bilingual children, for it to be considered a language disorder, they need to have difficulties in both languages, not just one.
If you are still unsure if your child has a language delay, please reach out! I’d love to talk to you about it. 616-951-1077