Your child's doctor and our speech and language professionals can provide you with additional information. Muscles in the mouth are used first for feeding , then for speech purposes. Important pre-speech activities in babies include making a variety of vowel and consonant sounds and eventually imitating a word or words that sound similar to yours. Speech should show continual improvement in clarity with adult-like speech patterns in place between 5 and 7 years old. It is not typical for a child to understand well and not start speaking between 12 and 18 months.
Speech delays can be hereditary.
Early diagnosis and treatment are beneficial. Language is a symbolic behavior. It is the child's ability to use words to represent thoughts, feelings and ideas. It is the labeling of ideas with words. Secondary language develops after the primary language system and is dependent upon the completeness of the primary language skills.