First thing you need is to take a slow, down-to-your-belly breath. Really! Whatever is going on for you right now, give yourself a moment to breathe deeply. Each of us has our own kaleidoscope of strengths, abilities, experiences, and needs, and we are all doing our best. I truly believe that.

Ready?

Let’s talk milestones.

My first question for you would be how old is your child? Usually by age 1, children use 1-2 words, and around age two have acquired many new words and begin to use two-word combinations, like “no bed” “hi Mommy”.

For more early developmental milestones, check out this awesome resource at identifythesigns.org

Keep in mind that infant words don’t have to be pronounced correctly to count as words! If they use it with intent across situations, and you know what they mean, it’s probably a word to them.

Based on this information, how many “words” does your child use?

If it doesn’t match up with the milestones, or your gut instinct tells you that you need to check on this, reach out to a speech-language pathologist in your area. You can do this using a Google search or ASHA Pro Find, a professional search tool from the American Speech Language Hearing Association designed to connect people with qualified speech, language and hearing professionals in their area. You can also reach out to your local school district and ask about their early intervention services.

It can’t hurt to ask questions and have a chat with a friendly professional, and earlier interventions can be highly beneficial.