Speech Delay - Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

The warning signs of early speech delay are categorized into age related milestones, beginning at the age of 12 months and continuing through early adolescence.

At the age of 12 months, there is cause for concern if the child is not able to do the following:

• Using gestures such as waving good-bye and pointing at objects
• Practicing the use of several different consonant sounds
• Vocalizing or communicating needs

Between the ages of 15 and 18 months children are at a higher risk for speech delay if they are displaying the following:

• Not saying “momma” and “dada”
• Not reciprocating when told “no,” “hello,” and “bye”
• Does not have a one to three word vocabulary at 12 months and up to 15 words by 18 months
• Is unable to identify body parts
• Displaying difficulties imitating sounds and actions
• Shows preference to gestures over verbalization

Additional signs of speech delay after the age of 2 years and up to the age of 4 include the following:

• Inability to spontaneously produce words and phrases
• Inability to follow simple directions and commands
• Cannot make a two word connections
• Lacks consonant sounds at the beginning or end of words
• Is difficult to understand by close family members
• Is not able to display the tasks of common household objects
• Is unable to form simple 2 to 3 word sentences