Infant's Late Talking May Be Early Warning

If a infant does not react to sounds, should parents be concerned? If an 18-month-old has yet to speak that precious first word, is it time to worry?

Perhaps, some specialists say.

Children who learn to speak late in their childhood may suffer severe reading and language problems in the future, said James Blinn, an adjunct professor of special education and language disorders at National University in Costa Mesa.

To help children become good learners, Blinn advises parents to pay attention to young children's language development.

"Even for 6- to 9-month-old children, there is a lot going on receptively that is laying the foundation to future speech," Blinn said.

An estimated 10% of the nation's schoolchildren have language disorders, which often stem from slow speaking skills. Some have physical disabilities, others genetic and developmental disorders. Even environmental factors, such as abuse or neglect, can play a role.

Most late talkers have some form of neurological impairment or physical condition. One common yet preventable cause of speech problems is ear infections. Research has shown that children with chronic ear infections tend to have poor reading and speaking skills later on, Blinn said.

"Language is learned auditorily," he said. "Even if a child is not speaking yet, he is absorbing sounds and ways of speech to prepare himself to speak."

To help prevent speech impediments, Blinn advises parents to closely monitor their children's health and development, particularly from infancy to age 5.

Blinn offers this outline to help parents measure their children's language development:

At 6 to 9 months: Infant can turn head to the person speaking and differentiate between voices. Shows facial expressions, responds to sounds.

1 year: Starts saying first words.

2 years: Forms two-word sentences and understands simple directions. May have acquired a vocabulary of about 200 words.

3 years: Vocabulary of up to 1,000 words, ability to form longer sentences.

4 years: Can identify colors, animals; can count and sort objects. Knows pronouns, verb tenses, and speech is about 80%-90% intelligible.

Don't panic if your child hasn't met all these milestones right on time, Blinn cautions. These are guidelines to use while watching your child's progress.