For many parents, the start of the school year is an exciting time. It’s a time for their child to branch out and make new friends and learn lots of new and exciting things. For other parents, it can be stressful and scary especially if there are concerns about academic and language development. Some preschoolers (and their parents) have not spent much time around other children their same age and it may be an eye opener to observe the developmental levels of other children the same age. Often this is the time when parents notice that their child is not talking or interacting at the same level as other children. They begin to question or wonder if there is something “wrong” with their child. Here are some things to think about when these questions arise…
3 years old: By the age of 3 years, most children are able to follow 2 step familiar directions such as “take off your shirt and put it in the hamper.” They know the names of common objects as well as the functions of the objects. They are speaking in short sentences of at least 3 words in length and they are constantly learning new words. 3 year olds can tell you their name and age and know the difference between boys and girls. 3 year olds are also learning descriptive concepts such as colors, numbers and some attributes (such as big, funny, etc.). The "3 year old" button, below, is a link to some 3 year old skills. 4 years old: By the age of 4 years, you should see a big growth in your child’s language skills. They have a much bigger vocabulary. Some developmental charts say 4 year old should have a vocabulary of approximately 1000 words. 4 year olds love to tell you stories and are communicating while they play by either talking/narrating their play to themselves or with a peer. The "4 year old" button at the bottom, is a link to some skills for quick reference for 4 year old. 5 years old: By the age of 5 years, children should have a vocabulary of 1500-2000 words and they should be continuing to learn new words. 5 year olds can tell elaborate stories and should understand future concepts such as “in the morning” or “tomorrow”. They should be able to follow multi-step directions and can ask for clarification if they are unsure of something. They should begin to be thinking in more abstract ways such as “I hope…” If you feel your child is not developing language at the rate that you would expect, contact your school district’s speech/language pathologist for assistance. Please keep in mind that the “average range” is exactly that…a “range”. Some children develop certain skills quicker than others. Some children may be at the lower end of the average range, and then hit a “language growth spurt” later. A speech/language pathologist can observe and interact with your child during a screening. This will give her a better idea of how your child is doing. Several different situations may occur following a screening:
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November 2020
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