This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Michelle Macias about speech and language delays in early childhood. Dr. Macia is a Professor of Pediatrics and a developmental behavioral pediatrician at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Speech and language delays are widely recognized as the most common types of developmental delays in early childhood. Doctor Michelle Macias is here to talk about the details. Doctor Macias is a Professor of Pediatrics and a developmental behavioral pediatrician at MUSC. Doctor Macias, explain what is meant by a speech delay and then a language delay in early childhood.
Dr. Macias: Speech is how a child says words and language is how a child understands and uses words to communicate. So, a speech problem is when a child has difficulty making speech sounds or pronouncing words. And, a language delay is when they have trouble understanding or using words, gestures or sentences to communicate.
Conner: And what may parents notice if their child does have speech or language delays in early childhood.
Dr. Macias: Children and infants learn to make sounds very early on. So initially they're going to coo, make vowel sounds. And, then by about six months they should be making a hard consonant sound like muh or guh. And then by nine months, most children, so like three fourths of children should be babbling or reproducing those sounds going bah bah bah gah gah gah! By 12 months they should say Mama and Dada and have early gestures like holding their arms out to be picked up. And then by 15 months is when most children will have their first word, at least, that they use to communicate. They'll be able to follow a simple direction. They'll be able to point to indicate something they need. And, then by two years of age, they should be starting to combine words. And the vast majority of children by 30 months should be using two word sentences.
Conner: So, if parents feel like their child's not keeping up in general with those milestones that you just mentioned, that might indicate a speech or language delay.
Dr. Macias: Correct. That's when they should have a discussion with their pediatrician. That's the first point of contact. The pediatrician will be able to complete developmental screening and help with next steps.
Conner: Can language delays sometimes be a sign of a broader developmental concern?
Dr. Macias: Yes. As you pointed out at the beginning, the most common developmental domain for delay is in speech and language, but it can be associated with broader developmental problems, such as a global developmental delay, such as a hearing loss that wasn't picked up on their early newborn hearing, screening, or a broader social communication disorder, specifically autism.
Conner: And I understand there's a free resource and service provided to South Carolina children to treat language delays. Tell us about that.
Dr. Macias: The early intervention program in our state, BabyNet, is provided free of charge to all families. They provide early intervention, which is a general developmental stimulation. They also cover the cost of speech and language therapy if it is indicated. So, if a parent has a concern, they bring it up with their pediatrician, and their pediatrician can help guide those next steps and make a referral to BabyNet. A parent can actually self-refer their own child to BabyNet. You can just google BabyNet SC and it will come up and you can do an online referral.
Conner: Doctor Macias, thanks for talking with us about speech and language delays in early childhood.
Dr. Macias: Thank you Bobbi. My pleasure.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
