Communication
YOUR CHILD’S COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT - CHECKLIST
Want to find out whether or not your child’s communication is developing normally for their age? Here’s some information for you.
Learning to talk builds on a baby’s or child’s ability to:
If your child has difficulty with any of these, keep an eye on his/her language development and seek help if necessary.
Speech, language and communication play an indispensable role in our lives. Without being able to understand or communicate with people, we can’t function and do things like:

Fortunately, most children do learn to communicate, though some ultimately become more functional and effective than others. Children develop communication skills from birth. They rely on speech, language and communication to be able to learn at school and play with their friends. They need these skills to reach their full potential.
Children begin to understand words before they can say them. They then learn how to say these words and how to put them together to make sentences.
Children develop speech, language and communication skills at different rates. Some develop quickly, while others may take longer.
Children need to:
To find out more information about speech and language developmental milestones, please visit the website: http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk
What to expect from your baby or pre-school child:
Some children attempt their first word before they are one year old. Others won’t speak until they are over two. Most of these differences don’t really matter, and some children will catch up with their friends quickly.
Children develop at different rates, so it’s difficult to give a definitive list of what a child should be able to do by a certain age.
Remember that you, the parent, play the most significant role in developing your child’s speech and language. Try the activities suggested by the Speech & Language Therapist as you go about your day. Many are meant to be fun, so there shouldn’t be any pressure for your child to join in.