What is speech?
- Speech refers to the way we physically produce a message, including:
- Articulation - the way specific speech sounds are produced
- Phonology - the patterns and organization of speech sounds in a language
- Fluency - the rhythm of the message
- Voice - the pitch, volume, and quality of a message
What is language?
- Language refers to the socially shared rules we follow when we communicate, including:
- Expressive Language - how we express our thoughts and feelings
- Learning and using vocabulary
- Learning and using grammatical structures
- Learning the social rules of communication
- Learning how to ask questions
- Receptive Language - how we understand the messages of others
- Understanding specific words, phrases, and sentences
- Understanding concepts (e.g., prepositions, sizes, colors)
- Following single and multiple step directions
- Understanding questions
- Expressive Language - how we express our thoughts and feelings
What is typical speech and language development?
What to learn more about what your child should be doing?


When should I be concerned?
Consider having your child's speech and language evaluated if:
- Your child's pediatrician recommends an evaluation
- Your child is not meeting developmental milestones
- Your child loses ANY developmental skills at ANY age.
- Click to learn more
What can I do to help?
- Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk to your children all of the time. Talk about what you are doing. Talk about what they are doing. Talk about what you see. Talk about what you hear.
- Read to your children daily.
- Respond to your children when they communicate with you.
- Limit screen time (TV, iPad, phones). Face-to-face communication is important for development.
- Say words correctly when you talk - avoid baby talk.
- Don't always correct your child's speech. Make sure they feel that their intent and message is the most important part of communication.
- Don't interrupt your child. Give your child time to talk.
- See a speech language pathologist if you are concerned.

*Adapted from:
The American Speech Language and Hearing Association (www.ASHA.org)
The Iowa-Nebraska Articulation Norms (Smit, Hand, Freilinger, Bernthal, and Bird (1990), Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 55, 779-798)
Identify the Signs (www.identifythesigns.org)